An Odd String of Events
by thEcrEAtOr23
Summary: The Killing Curse backfired on the Lord Voldemort, killing him. Or so they thought. Instead, a very confused 17-year-old Tom Riddle emerges without a single memory of the past 70 years. It is up to two girls to teach Riddle the strange new world of 1998. But can Riddle really be trusted? Tom/OC Slightly AU *ON A BRIEF HIATUS*
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything which sucks**

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**Prologue**

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The two curses meet, battling each other for the upper hand.

Good vs. Evil.

Light vs. Dark.

Lord Voldemort vs. Harry Potter.

Each person's loyal followers watching anxiously from the sides as the two fight to the death. In a moment of triumph, the red overpowers the green and the Dark Lord crumples down, screaming in agony. The Death Eaters, in shock at watching their leader die, quickly flee the scene to avoid getting caught.

But they flee too soon.

The body of the Dark Lord begins the glow and morph itself into another shape. Dark robes collapse on top of the body. Everyone stares as the robes begin to move. They all watch, waiting for the worst to happen. Instead, the head of a very confused 17-year-old Tom Riddle emerges. The room is silent, all except one Ronald Weasley, who voices everyone's thoughts.

"Bloody hell."


	2. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything**

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**Chapter One**

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Tom Riddle is lost.

The last thing he remembers is walking down the halls of Hogwarts on his way back to the Head common room. Now, groups of ill-dressed and bloodied up people are staring at him. The only person out of the entire crowd he recognizes is Dumbledore. Though, he looks much older and sadder than he remembers. The hall is completely silent until a ginger boy in the front of the crowd says, "Bloody hell."

The next thing he knows, he is being rushed into the Headmaster's office, bound to the room with a series of complex magical spells, and forced to drink a batch a Vertiserum with the promise that the Headmaster will be in shortly. Only moments after drinking the Vertiserum, Professor Dumbledore comes bursting through the doors.

"Hello, Tom," he says kindly. The boy flinches at the use of his first name, but says nothing. "I know you are probably very confused about what is happening."

"Yes, but I was told that the Headmaster was to come and speak with me," Riddle says coolly.

"My boy, I am the Headmaster," Dumbledore says.

"Well, I offer my congratulations. What happened to Headmaster Dippet, sir?"

"He died," the older man says. "Now, I am going to ask you a few questions. Is that alright?"

"I see no reason why it would not be," Riddle says, still rather confused.

"Excellent. What year is it?"

"1943."

"What is the last thing you remember?"

"I was switching patrols with the Head Girl, Melanie Undergrate, and I was making my way to the Head common room."

Dumbledore continues to ask him questions about Death Eaters and Voldemorts, and Riddle knows none of the answers. He simply stares at the Headmaster with a blank and unknowing look on his face. Dumbledore sighs and puts his hand on his forehead. Riddle, who is _still _very confused, asks the Headmaster, "Are you alright, sir?"

"Yes, I am fine, Tom. I am just worried about you," he says hesitantly.

"Why would you be worried about me, sir?" Riddle asks.

"I'm just going to come out and say it, this is not 1943. It is actually 1998 and the darkest wizard to ever exist has just been defeated after a long, hard war."

"Then that is excellent news. Yet, how does this information have to do with me?" the boy asks.

"You are the dark wizard," Dumbledore says gravely. He goes on to explain everything that has happened over the past 70 years. What Riddle had become, the people he killed, the struggle, everything. After he finishes telling the story, Dumbledore looks at Riddle worriedly. How would the boy react? He just found out that he killed millions of people. Riddle doesn't say anything for the longest time. His dark eyes calculating all of the information that was just given to him. Finally he says, "I want to meet this Harry Potter. Invite his friends to come with him."

"Very well," the old man says reluctantly as he goes to fetch the trio. Moments later, Dumbledore returns with three 17-year-olds. One has messy black hair, light green eyes, and an odd lightning bolt scar upon his dirty forehead. On his left, is the ginger that broke the silence in the hall. He is staring at Tom with a look of absolute disgust. On the dark haired boy's right, stands a girl with messy brown hair. Unlike the two boys, there is some sympathy mixed in with her hatred. Riddle is the first one to say anything. "I know you probably hate me, but-"

"But? You're sorry? I know Dumbledore says that you don't remember anything, but I don't believe him! You killed my brother!" the ginger shouts.

"Ronald!" the girl scolds. "I'm sorry for his behavior. My name is Hermione Granger. This is Harry Potter and Ron Weasley."

"I know. I'm Riddle," he says. As if it is a struggle to say the next thing, the boy sighs and says, "I'm…sorry."

"What?" Harry asks shocked.

"Don't make me repeat it again, Potter. My apologies are rare and should not be taken for granted," Riddle snaps. Harry steps up to Riddle and looks him in the eyes. Green meets gray. Harry steps back to his friends and asks, "You really don't remember anything?"

"Not a thing. Though, I still despise Mudbloods and Muggles, I never planned on going on killing spree," Riddle says truthfully, the Vertiserum still running through his veins. After a moment of silence Harry says, "I will not try to murder you in your sleep, but I don't think I will ever forgive you for what you did. Come on, guys."

With that, the trio walks out of the room, leaving Riddle alone. He stays in there for hours, or days, or even weeks with only Dumbledore as his company. He is given many truth-telling potions, some of which he has never heard of, until they run out of things to ask him. But Dumbledore always asks the same question before he leaves, and today is no different.

"What happened?"

And as always, Riddle answers, "I don't know."

One day, Riddle is led out of the Headmaster's office and into the newly refurbished Great Hall. It is set up differently than he remembers. Then again, everything is different. At the front of the hall, a group of people sit at one long desk. Some of them Riddle recognizes; Dumbledore, Potter, Weasley, and Granger, but others are unfamiliar. Everyone else sits in individual seats facing the front. A single chair is placed between the front table and the group of wizards and witches. Riddle is pushed into that single chair and is bound to it through a series of charms. Dumbledore stands up from his seat in the center and begins to speak.

"Greetings. As you know, the man before us here is Tom Riddle. After a series of top-secret investigations, we have come across the information that Mr. Riddle has no account of what has happened over the past 70 years." A low murmur goes through the crowd. "Quiet down please. After much consult with the Order of the Phoenix and Harry Potter himself, we have agreed to let Mr. Riddle repeat his seventh year of schooling along with the rest of the school, whose education had been incomplete do to obvious reasons. That is the final verdict. Thank you."

The crowd walks out of the Great Hall whispering silently amongst themselves. Everyone sitting at the front of the hall has left, with the exception of Dumbledore. He unbinds Riddle and says, "I'm sure you are wondering about your housing for the remainder of the time that it takes Hogwarts to be refurbished."

"Yes, sir," Riddle says.

"Though you are of age, we believe that it is best that you are sent to the orphanage for the time being," Dumbledore says sternly.

"But, sir-"

"No 'buts', Mr. Riddle. We are granting you are large favor. Besides, two of our brightest witches also live at the orphanage."

"I'm sure I will be able to manage," Riddle says, lying through his teeth.

"Excellent," the old man says cheerfully. "We will arrange for you to be sent there at once."

"I shall go prepare myself," Riddle says. After leaving the Great Hall, Riddle makes his way down to the girl's bathroom. He hisses to the sink and it allows him to enter the Chamber. He doesn't remember much about his fifth year, but he does remember finding his way down here. He also remembers there is a basilisk, yet what he used it for, he is uncertain about. Instead of the giant snake, he finds the very dead skeleton of a basilisk. Unaware of what to do, he makes his way out of the Chamber and prepares for his trip back to the dreaded orphanage.

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**So, this is the first chapter :) Trust me, it will get a LOT less serious once you meet the two girls who shall be helping Tom in 1998. Yes, Tom probably will be slightly OOC, but if you don't like don't read. I have had this story stuck in my head for quite some time so here it is! Follow/Favorite/Review/PM!**

**Welcome to my black hole of fangirlness *evil laughter***


	3. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own**

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**Chapter Two**

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Two girls, who happen to be best friends, are called into Dumbledore's office. Their names are Adalyn and Isabelle. The two are rarely seen apart and it is well known knowledge that both are orphans. The two whisper furiously to each other as they make their way up the staircase.

"What do you think Dumbledore wants with us?" Adalyn whispers to her friend nervously.

"I don't know, but I have a strong feeling that we aren't going to like it," Isabelle whispers back. They reach the set of double doors and knock silently. From inside they here Dumbledore call out, "You may enter."

Dumbledore watches the two girls as they step into the room. Despite the closeness of the two witches, their appearances are staggeringly different. Adalyn Vengradis has long black hair and emerald green eyes that look like they have seen far more than anyone ever should. She is thin and scruff looking from the recent war, but still maintains the same muscular and tall form that she had when she first entered Hogwarts. Her companion, Isabelle Gaunt, is quite the opposite. She shows no sign of ever descending from the Gaunt family with her blonde hair and innocent blue eyes. She has a petite frame and looks as if she just came from a luxury home in France. Among her friends, she is known as Tinkerbell, due to her resemblance to the Muggle pixie. But Dumbledore has no doubt in his mind that the pair of girls would be able to perform the task he has in mind.

"Now ladies, you are probably wondering why I called you here," Dumbledore starts off.

"Let me guess," Adalyn says. "You want us to take Riddle under our wing because he is staying at the orphanage with us."

Dumbledore sighs. This girl is too smart for her own good. If it weren't for her smart mouth, she would have been top of her class. Sadly, Adalyn is, shall we say, opinionated and is always willing to share her opinion with at anytime she feels it is necessary. "Yes, Miss Vengradis that is exactly what I wish for you to do."

"What's in it for us?" Adalyn asks, earning a smack from her friend. "What was that for, Tink?"

"Some things you do out of the goodness of your heart," Isabelle scolds. "But, seriously sir, what is in it for us?"

"If I am not mistaken, the Ministry would pay a hefty sum if someone could figure out what happened to Mr. Riddle," Dumbledore says giving them a knowing look. He is the only person, besides the girls themselves, who knows about the girl's abilities. Adalyn is a Siren. As long as you have met her once, she can make you do whatever she pleases. But with this great power comes restrictions. She may only enter your mind if she is in an area that contains Dark Magic. Isabelle is different. With one touch, she can enter your mind and pull out any information that she desires. Unlike her friend, her powers have limits. She can only read your thoughts through the object if it is given to her, as opposed Isabelle stealing it. No one, not even the two witches, knows why they possess these powers, but they do. It has been a secret that Dumbledore has kept for years, with the promise from the two that they would not abuse their powers.

Adalyn raises an eyebrow. "If you want us to find out what is wrong with Riddle, why didn't you call us in when he was being investigated?"

"People would ask questions," Dumbledore says simply. "Now, will you accept the task?"

Both girls give each other a look before turning back to Dumbledore. The Headmaster smiles, already knowing what their answer will be.

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Riddle was told to be at the Great Hall be 10:00. He was also told that two girls around his age would be there to meet him. Now at 10:30, he sits down against the wall, alone. As soon as he slumps down, he hears two girls arguing from down the hall.

"Addy, come on! We are 30 minutes late!" one voice says.

"And whose fault would that be?" the other one says accusingly. "At least I didn't take 15 minutes to put on makeup!"

"Well, that is true. But at least I'm walking at a speed faster than a turtle!" the first voice shoots back.

"You're honestly expecting me to run," the second voice says laughing. Riddle raises an eyebrow. This could be interesting…

Moments later, the two girls enter the hall. One has long, black hair and emerald green eyes. She has a tall, muscular build that looks awkward with the thin, beat up body that she has acquired from the war. Her companion, however, is short, blonde hair, blue-eyed, and perky. She has no traces of war left on a smooth, pale face. Both are dressed in the most scandalous clothes Riddle has ever seen. The taller one is wearing a pair of ridiculous short and a long sleeved shirt that exposes part of her lean stomach. The blonde one is wearing leather pants that go down to her ankles and a white shirt that exposes almost her entire stomach. The dark haired one reaches Riddle first.

"Hello, I'm Adalyn and this is Isabelle, but everyone calls her Tinkerbell or Tink," she says gesturing to her friend.

"I'm Riddle," he says back. Adalyn studies him for a brief moment before asking, "You ready to go?"

"Yes, I am, but you two do not seem to be fully dressed," Riddle states. The two witches burst out laughing. He looks at them strangely and says, "Might I inquire why you two have suddenly begun to laugh."

"Dear Riddle, this is the fashion of the modern world," Adalyn says as if she were explaining something to a two year old. "Most women dress much sluttier than this."

Riddle raises a disbelieving eyebrow, but says nothing. Isabelle breaks the silence by saying, "Okay, now that everybody is ready, I believe we shall board the train."

"Shall? Since when did you start speaking so formally, Tink?" the dark haired girl says with a smirk. Then, in a dramatic voice, adds on, "Yes, let us travel over yonder to enter the steam powered locomotive."

Isabelle and Adalyn laugh, while Riddle just looks at them confused. The two continue to talk amongst themselves. It is not in an excluding manner, just Riddle has no idea what they are talking about. When they finally settle into a train compartment, he decides to finally speak up. "Might I inquire your last names?"

"Vengradis," Adalyn says.

"Gaunt," Isabelle says sharing a smirk with Adalyn. Riddle looks at the small, blonde girl in disbelief. Not one feature of her shows any resemblance to the Gaunt family. Seeing his confusion, Isabelle sighs and explains. "Well, before being sent to Azkaban, dear old Morfin had some fun, which led to the birth of my father. He got some random chick knocked up, and that is how I was born. Daddy dearest abandoned mom when I was first born. Not wanting me, she dumps me at the orphanage when I was a mere one month old. I have lived there my whole life. So that would make you like my second cousin or something."

"What does it mean to be 'knocked up'?" Riddle asks.

"Preggers!" Adalyn shouts out. Noticing that Riddle is still confused, she sighs and says, "It means pregnant."

"And what houses are you two in?" Riddle asks.

"SLYTHERIN!" the two girls cry out in unison, startling Riddle.

"I see," he says. "After Gaunt's story, I have figured out that she is a half-blood. What about you, Vengradis?"

"That, my dear boy, is one of the biggest secrets in all of Hogwarts. Only Dumbledore and Tinkerbell know," Adalyn says with a proud smirk.

"Fine, if you won't tell me your blood status, would you tell me how you arrived at the orphanage?" Riddle asks. The girl intrigues Riddle. She isn't as easy to read as all the other ignorant wizards. She has secrets. Secrets that he wishes to figure out.

"Why so interested in my life, Riddle?" Adalyn asks curiously.

"Just trying to make simple conversation," Riddle lies. Adalyn looks into Riddle's dark gray eyes. He is lying and she can tell. It is an uncanny sense that she has. None the less she answers the boy's question. "My sister and I were kicked out of the house because my family didn't want us. We made our way to the orphanage and , the lady who runs the place, let us in. Simple as that."

The train arrives at Platform 9 ¾ and the three orphans grab the one bag that they have and exit the train. Once out of the station, they make their way to an abandoned alley and Apparate to another alley close to the orphanage. They look up at the dark depressing building and walk up the steps towards the doors. Before Isabelle can knock, Adalyn whispers into Riddle's ear.

"Welcome to the Island of Misfit Toys."

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**So, let me say a few things. One, I may mess up some of the phrases and outfits from the 90s but I will try my best to make them correct. Two, some words, like color and colour, will be written in American form since I am American. Three, the rest of the story will probably be written through Adalyn's point of view. I just wanted to introduce all the characters and stuff through third person point of view first. That's all!**

**But, how did you like it? Do you like the characters so far? The links for the characters are in my bio :)**

**Do forget to hit those buttons down there to make me smile **


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. Which sucks, but it is the bitter truth.**

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**Chapter Three**

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The orphanage door swings open to reveal a young woman in her 20s. She smiles at the two girls knowingly and says, "Adalyn! Tinkerbell! You are back!" Her gaze shifts over to Riddle and she asks, "Who are you?"

Before Riddle can answer, Vengradis looks at the woman and says, "This is Tom Riddle. He will be staying with us until term starts back up."

"Very well," the woman says in a slightly dazed tone. "I'm Miss Olivia. Come on in and get settled in."

"I thought you said a lady named Mrs. Kale ran the orphanage," Riddle hisses to Vengradis.

"This is her daughter. She does all the work, but Mrs. Kale takes the pay check, but Livvy is awesome. She lets us do whatever we want," Vengradis whispers back.

Olivia leads them up a stairwell and down a narrow hallway. Vengradis and Gaunt turn into one room and plop their bags on the two empty beds. Before Riddle closes his door, he has the honor of getting the room right across the hall from the two witches. He hears a young girl shout, "Lynnie!"

"Stupid Muggles," Riddle mutters under his breath as he begins to unpack his few belongings. After he finishes unpacking, Riddle lies down on the uncomfortable bed in the room, wishing for a little peace and quiet. Much to his displeasure, that wish is not granted. Across the hall, high pitched laughter and sounds of falling people and furniture fill his ears. Riddle, reluctantly, gets up and goes to knock on their door. The door opens and he scolds, "Vengradis and Gaunt, is there a reason why you are being- oh, you are not Vengradis or Gaunt."

Instead of one of the two 17-year-old witches standing at the door, a young redheaded girl looks up at Riddle confused. "Um, should I know you?" she asks.

"Who is it?" he hears Gaunt call out from inside the room.

"I don't know. Why do you think I asked?" she calls back.

"Do recognize him?" Vengradis shouts back.

"No," the young girl says rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"Oh, than its Riddle," Gaunt says.

"I give you permission to close the door on his face," Vengradis says laughing. Riddle raises an eyebrow and gives the girl a look. "May I come in?" he asks politely.

"Sure," she shrugs and opens the door wider. The sight inside the room is quite interesting. The two beds are flipped onto their sides and feathers fill every corner of the small room. The two older girls are hiding behind the two beds on their stomachs. Vengradis is the first to notice his presence. She sits up and groans, "What do you want?"

"I would appreciate it if you two imbecile buffoons would keep your commotion down to a more manageable level," Riddle says coolly.

"Speak English please," Vengradis says.

"That was English," Riddle says with a smirk.

"Fine, let me rephrase that statement. Speak Modern English please," she says.

"In simply terms, would you two idiots keep your noise down," he says.

"No can do, Riddle. You see, Tinkerbell, Emmaline, and I were just having our annual 'My sister and her blonde friend just got back from school' pillow fight," Vengradis says.

"Sister?" Riddle asks in disbelief looking at the young girl who opened the door. Now that he studies her harder, he can see the resemblance. Both share emerald green eyes and a muscular frame. The only difference is the hair. While the older Vengradis has inky black hair, the young girl before him has fiery red hair that can rival a Weasley.

"Yes. Riddle meet Emmaline Vengradis. Emmy meet Riddle," the black haired girl says.

"Riddle, do you have a first name?" Emmaline asks innocently.

"Yes."

"What is it?"

"Tom."

"Can I call you Tom?"

"No."

"But you can call him Tommy," Gaunt pipes up.

"Welcome to the orphanage, Tommy!" the little girl says throwing her arms around Riddle giving him a big hug. Riddle stands awkwardly as Emmaline squeezes his legs. He shoots daggers at Vengradis and Gaunt as they crack up at Riddle's new nickname.

"Let go, Emmy," Gaunt says.

"Yes, let go of Tommy," Vengradis says with a smirk.

"I see you find this very funny," Riddle says coldly.

"Hilarious," Vengradis says with a mischievous smile. "Now come on, we need to go introduce you to the rest of the orphanage."

"I don't really think that is necessary," Riddle says as he heads back into his room.

"Oh no you don't," Gaunt says pulling him back out into the hallway. Vengradis has already gone down the hallway calling out for everybody to get down to the dining hall. Gaunt keeps her death grip on Riddle as she pulls him down the hall. "It is our job to teach you about the modern world. And that won't be easy with you cooped up in your room like an unhappiful sod."

"Unhappiful isn't a word," Riddle states.

"I know," Gaunt says cheerfully as she pulls Riddle through a familiar set of double doors.

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Adalyn stands at the front of the dining hall as she waits for everyone to file in. She sees Tinkerbell pulling an unhappy Riddle into the hall. The two make their way up to the front of the hall to stand by her. After the orphans have stopped coming in, Adalyn stands up on the table in front of her and addresses the crowd. "Hello, young children. Many of you know me as Adalyn. For any of you newcomers, my name is pronounced Ay-duh-lin. Not A-day-line or any other weird way you can think of. So, you are probably wondering why I gathered all of you here today. Well, a boy from our school is going to be staying with us for the summer. His name is Tom Riddle."

Tinkerbell pushes Riddle up onto the table as the crowd eyeballs him. Adalyn turns to Riddle and says, "Why don't you tell them about yourself."

"Fine," Riddle sighs. "My name is Riddle. You may call me Riddle and nothing else. Do not enter my quarters without permission. And keep all noise down."

"You guys can go back to whatever you guys were doing," Adalyn says. She turns to Riddle and asks, "What was that? I'm sure _so_ many people want to talk to you now."

"Maybe I don't want people to bother me," Riddle says stubbornly.

"Fine, I guess we are going to force you to be social then," Tinkerbell says. "Hey, Jesse! Rosalind! Wait up!"

A boy and girl turn around and walk over to Isabelle and Adalyn. It is obvious that the two are twins with matching chocolate brown hair and dark brown eyes with an olive complexion. The girl, Rosalind, raises an eyebrow and says, "Yes? Did you call your majesty?"

"Wow, that was so funny I forgot to laugh," Adalyn says rolling her eyes. "Anyway, this is Riddle. Riddle meet Rosalind and Jesse Tate. The two other orphans our age."

"It is a pleasure to meet you two," Riddle says politely. "Now may I please return to my room?"

"Fine," Tinkerbell groans. Riddle nods his head once before returning down the hall to his room of solitude. Once he is gone, Jesse turns to Adalyn and Isabelle and asks, "How do you know him?"

"School," the green-eyed girl says simply. "Now, what do you two plan on doing for the summer?"

"We have to work," Rosalind says, obviously not thrilled with the idea. "Jesse got a job at the bagel shop and I have a job at the coffee shop next door."

"So, could you score us free food?" Adalyn says wiggling her eyebrows.

"No," the twins say in unison. Adalyn's face falls in disappointment.

"We should get a job!" Isabelle exclaims turning to Adalyn.

"Tink, who on Earth would hire us?" Adalyn says raising an eyebrow.

"I hear the magazine place on Hargater Street is hiring," Jesse says.

"We should apply for a job!" Isabelle says as she pulls Adalyn out of the dining hall's doors and back upstairs to their room. "With a little persuasion…"

"No, Tink. I feel bad about using my powers on Livvy, let alone some random stranger," Adalyn admits.

"But think of the money," the blonde say dreamily.

"You and I both know that I have plenty of money at Gringotts," Adalyn whispers.

"Oh, right. Because you are from the high-class-"

"Shut up!" Adalyn hisses. "Someone might overhear you."

"Fine, but we are searching for summer jobs tomorrow," Isabelle insists.

"Whatever," the dark haired girl sighs rolling onto her bed. "Goodnight, Tinkerbell."

"Night night. Think of happy little thoughts."

"Shut up."

"Hey, I didn't choose for my nickname to be Tinkerbell. I might as well make the best of it."

"You are an idiot," Adalyn says rolling over.

"I learned from the best," Isabelle says with a smirk.

"And who would that be?"

"You, of cou-"

Her sentence is cut off by Adalyn's pillow flying into her face. Isabelle shrieks and throws her pillow back. Across the hall, Riddle knows that he is in for a long night.

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**If you couldn't tell, when Adalyn's and Isabelle's last names are used, that is more through Tom's point of view. So, I'm really sorry if there are any spelling errors. So, follow/favorite/review if you are enjoying the story! :)**


	5. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I STILL do not own Harry Potter. Seriously, I think the rights got lost in the mail along with my Hogwarts acceptance letter :(**

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**Chapter Four**

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Riddle did not sleep well last night.

For _six hours_, the sounds of Vengradis and Gaunt kept him up with their constant chatter. The feet of young children running around upstairs kept him up for the rest of the night. Since returning to Wool's, Riddle has found out that the entire orphanage has changed its set up. The old two-story orphanage has been expanded to three stories. Instead of having girls on the top floor and boys on the bottom, the children are separated by age. All Muggle children 10 and under stay on the top floor; which only has two rooms, one for boys and one for girls. On the second floor, all 11-14 year old Muggles live, one side of the hallway for each gender. On the bottom floor is where everybody 15 and up sleeps. This floor also contains the common room, dining hall, and office. So unless you are far down the hall, you can hear the pitter-patter of feet coming down the stairs and into the dining hall. This is exactly what happened to Riddle.

He stumbles out of bed and gets dressed in his Muggle clothes. He brushes his hair into its usual neat wave. Once he is satisfied with how he looks Riddle steps out of the door and into the hall. In less than one second, two figures crash into him, knocking him to the ground. The two figures trip over his fallen body and collapse on top of him. The familiar groans of Vengradis and Gaunt travel to his ears as they stand up. Gaunt offers her hand to Riddle but he refuses.

"Would you two mind telling me why you were running from the opposite side of the hall?" Riddle questions.

"VENGRADIS! GAUNT!"

Jesse storms out of his bedroom, which happens to be in the same direction that Vengradis and Gaunt just came bolting from. He is seething with anger, but it is hard to take him seriously with his new electric green hair. The two witches hide behind Riddle quite pathetically.

They try to contain their laughter as Jesse approaches them. "Is something wrong, Jess?" Vengradis asks innocently.

"What is the matter? Take a look!" he shouts pointing to his hair.

"Is that a new hairstyle? It looks absolutely fabulous on you!" Gaunt says pretending to study his head.

"You know what I'm talking about," he says trying to keep calm. "I go to bed with brown hair then wake up with green hair. Only you two could have pulled off such a prank."

_Did they use magic? The idiots. It is illegal to use magic outside of Hogwarts. Well, they are of age. But they used it on a Muggle which is dangerous. _Riddle gives the girls a dark glare and storms off in the direction of the dining hall.

"Hey, Riddle! Wait up!" he hears Vengradis shout. When she finally catches up with him she asks, "We were wondering if you wanted to sit with us during meals. We have our own table since all of the younger kids are afraid of us older kids so they is plenty of room…"

"Why did you do it? You could have been caught! Do you know how severe the consequences are?" Riddle says cutting her off.

"I'm pretty sure the consequences wouldn't be _that _severe. This isn't the first time we have pranked each other," Vengradis says confused.

"He could have seen you!" Riddle hisses.

"That is a risk that you take when you prank someone. It wasn't actually that hard…"

"You used magic on a Muggle!"

"What are you talking about?" Vengradis says obviously confused. "Oh. You think we used magic to dye Jesse's hair."

"And you didn't?" Riddle asks, now very confused.

"Of course not. Tink and I are not that stupid. We just slipped some Muggle hair dye into his shampoo and bam! Green hair!" Vengradis says using vivid hand gestures. "Now, would you like to sit with us?"

"Sure," Riddle says warily, not used to people being kind. _This must be some sort of trick. _Vengradis grabs his arm and pulls him into the dining hall and towards an almost empty table. She grabs a piece of bacon from the center of the table and begins to chat with Gaunt about finding a job. Riddle eats in silence. Though he tries his best not to show it, he always feels awkward in large group settings. He never really knows what to say. Instead, he remains silent and observes.

The Tate twins seem to be your typical teenage Muggles. Both seem to know that they are attractive, not like Riddle even cares, and flaunt it. They both seem to have great speaking skills. Whenever a silence falls upon the table, they are always the first to speak up and start a new conversation. The girl, Rosalind, seems to be friendly enough, but the boy, Jesse, gets on Riddle's nerves. He has every quality that Riddle does not have; good looks, good personality, friendly, and seems to have the attention of every girl from the ages of 10-17. Even Gaunt.

Gaunt is a bubble of cheerfulness. She is always smiling and being cheerful, from 6 AM to 11 PM. With her petite frame, she can easily squeeze through large crowds of people, which proved to be useful this morning on her way to get more food for the table. Like the twins, she would most likely be called "pretty" or "cute" by 80% of guys. But Riddle didn't pay attention to that. He paid attention to her eyes. Though they are blue and innocent, there is knowledge hidden deep in the pools of blue.

Vengradis is a completely different story. She is very beautiful, but doesn't seem to care. She always wears long-sleeved shirts and her hair tangled and pulled up into a ponytail, revealing a double ear piercing. Her emerald eyes try to hide any emotions that flood through her head, much like him. Riddle has also noticed that she has two types of smiles. One smile is the one you see most often. It looks genuine, but Riddle can tell she is hiding pain behind it. The other one is an exact opposite. It is a real, genuine smile that seems to light up the entire room. These are rare, but it almost makes Riddle smile whenever he sees it.

Vengradis catches him staring and raises her eyebrows. He quickly averts his eyes back to his food and continues to eat. He hates himself for letting her catch him staring. He will admit, he finds her very attractive, but her personality ruins it. It is too loud and impulsive for his taste. He sighs and continues to eat the rest of his meal in silence before heading back to his room to read.

* * *

Adalyn catches Riddle staring at her and raises her eyebrows. His gray eyes quickly go back to his plate and he continues eating. Adalyn studies Riddle as he takes a small bite of egg. His dark hair has a perfect wave to it that makes Adalyn very jealous. His gray eyes, though cold and uninviting, will sometimes have glimmers of emotions in them. He has an angular face that Adalyn finds quite handsome. _Did I just call Lord Voldemort handsome? No, though Riddle does have good looks, he has a horrible anti-social personality._

"Adalyn? Earth to Adalyn!" Rosalind says waving her hand in front of Adalyn's face. "I asked you a question."

"Oh, sorry. What?" Adalyn asks. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Riddle get up and leave. _So much so for trying to get him to socialize. _

"I asked whether you and Tink are going to see about that job?" the brunette asks reaching for a slice of toast.

"Oh crap! We are getting interviewed for the job in an hour!" Isabelle says standing up. She grabs her friend's arm and drags her out of the dining hall to go get ready. An hour later, both girls look presentable as they knock on the building's door. A skinny woman, who looks to be in her mid-twenties, opens the door. She eyeballs Adalyn and Isabelle before saying, "You must be Miss Vengradis and Miss Gaunt. Follow me."

Adalyn doesn't like the woman already. She seems full of herself and treated them quite poorly at the door. Reluctantly, she follows Isabelle into the building. It is modern and high-class as people rush around with racks of clothes. The woman leads them into an office and shuts the doors. She turns to them and says, "My name is Tessa Von Hall. I am the manager of this modeling business."

Adalyn shoots Isabelle a glare. _She said this is a photography job! Not some stupid modeling job. At least it will pay well. _Tessa has continued to speak once again, "Now, I don't really care which one of you is Adalyn and which Isabelle is, but this is a one-time deal. If you get this job, we will pay you £10,000 for 10 photographs each. Do we have a deal?"

Isabelle and Adalyn both shake her hand and Tessa smiles, "Great. We will take your measurements today and tomorrow you can return at 10 AM for your shoot. You are dismissed."

With a wave of her perfectly manicured hand, Miss Von Hall shoos the two girls out of her office and back to the street. Once they are back at the orphanage, Adalyn turns to Isabelle and says, "Tink! You said it was a photography job! Not some stupid modeling job!"

"I know, but think of how much we are going to get paid. It is just about 2,000 galleons each once you convert it!"

"Fine, but only this once," Adalyn says stubbornly. Isabelle squeals with excitement as she makes her way into the shared room. Her green-eyed friend sighs and follows her in. Across the hall, Riddle smirks at the idea of Vengradis being a model.

* * *

**So, what do you guys think? Do you like it? Or do you really really like it? Please let me know by following and favoriting and reviewing. Also, if you have any suggestions feel free to tell me :)**

**STORY TIME **

**So, I am currently sitting at home typing this in silence. Why do I mention that it is silent? Possibly because my mother, sister, and her best friend are all at the pool. Which leaves the house very quiet. But I like it! While typing the newest chapter to my other story, Wings of Hate and Fate, I could hear the squeals of little girls. **


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. That belongs to our queen, J.K. Rowling.**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

* * *

"Wake up, Addie! It's time to be models!" Isabelle sings as she shakes her friend awake. "Come on, it's time to get ready to go!"

Adalyn throws the blankets over her face and snuggles deeper into her covers. Annoyed, Isabelle rips the covers off of Adalyn and screams, "GET OUT OF BED AND MOVE YOUR LAZY ARSE! WE HAVE A BIG DAY AND I WILL NOT HAVE YOU RUIN IT!"

"Alright, alright. I'm up!" Adalyn says hopping out of bed and onto the hard wooden floor. "Though, I'm pretty sure you woke up half of the orphanage in your attempt to get me up."

"It worked though," Isabelle says as she slips into her clothes. She wears a short sleeved V-neck purple top with frayed jean shorts. "Come on, Addie. If you don't get moving, we are going to be late!"

"Great," Adalyn says. She quickly throws on a white tank top and ripped jeans and doesn't bother to try and brush her tangled hair. Before she walks out the door, she throws a black leather jacket to cover up the hideous Dark Mark that is placed on her left arm. Looking at it only brings back terrifyingly painful memories and feelings. Plus, having the Dark Mark is not exactly the best thing in the Wizarding World. Or the Muggle world for that matter. "I'm ready. Can we go and eat now? I'm starving."

"Fine, but don't eat too much. We don't want to look bloated," Isabelle sighs as they walk into the dining hall. The two girls sit down at the usual table; Isabelle next to Rosalind and Adalyn next to Jesse. Surprisingly, Riddle is nowhere to be found. Before Adalyn can dwell on it too much, Rosalind asks, "So what is this 'big day' that Tinkerbell was screaming about?"

"It's nothing," Adalyn mumbles at the same time that Isabelle says, "We have a modeling gig."

"You guys are going to be models!" Rosalind squeals. "That is so cool!"

"Whatever," Adalyn mumbles as she takes a bite of cereal. "I just want the day to end as quickly as possible."

"Don't listen to her," Isabelle says. "She's just being grumpy."

"Really? I had no idea," Jesse says shocked. "I thought she was in a surprisingly good mood!"

Adalyn rolls her eyes and punches Jesse in the arm. "Shut up before I stab you with my spoon."

"You can't stab someone with a spoon," he says.

"Do you want to test that theory?" Adalyn asks in a dark voice while holding up the spoon menacingly. Well, as menacingly as you can be with a spoon. "Just kidding, but Tink, if we want to be on time then we have to leave right now."

"Crap! See you guys later!" Isabelle says hoping up. The two of them run out of the dining hall and straight into Riddle. Isabelle is able to catch herself since she did not hit him directly, but Adalyn slams into his chest and pushes him down to the ground with her. "Sorry!" Adalyn quickly apologizes before hopping up. "I didn't see you there!"

"Obviously," Riddle states. "You should really watch where you are going, Vengradis."

"I'm dreadfully sorry," she says sarcastically. "Now, I have to go. Goodbye, Riddle."

"Goodbye," he says bluntly before heading into the dining hall. Once he is out of earshot, Adalyn whispers to Isabelle, "Ugh! He is so infuriating!"

"Of course you think that," the blonde girl laughs as they exit the orphanage.

"What do you mean?"

"It is only a matter of time before the two of you fall madly in love and get married! Oh, can I be the maid of honor?"

"What? Me? Riddle? No way," Adalyn says, truly shocked. "Besides, Emmaline would be the maid of honor. She is my sister."

"Don't deny it! It is only a matter of time until the two of you realize your true feelings for each other!" Isabelle sings as she skips down the street.

"Did somebody spike your juice? Because you are acting completely loopy. This is Tom Riddle. The same guy who tortured me for information about Hogwarts," Adalyn states.

"No, that was Lord Voldemort. This is Tom Riddle, there is a difference," Isabelle states. "Now, I don't know if it because we are distantly related, but I kind of trust him."

"Well then you can date him," Adalyn says as they approach the doors of the building. "But listen to me very carefully. I will fancy Riddle when Hell freezes over."

Isabelle drops the subject as they walk through the glass doors of the modeling building. Immediately, Tessa Von Hall spots them and pulls them into some unknown room.

"Strip down, your stylists will be in shortly," she says. In the reflection of the door, she spots Adalyn's Dark Mark. Tessa turns around and holds up Adalyn's arm. "What is this?"

"It's a tattoo," Adalyn lies. Tessa examines the arm closely before saying, "It is perfect! Now we don't need to put fake tattoos on you! Does your friend have one?"

"Um, my name is Isabelle and no, I do not have a tattoo," Isabelle says. "Why do we need tattoos?"

"For the photo shoot. It is going to be the mix of leather and lace. Hard and soft. Light and dark," Tessa says proudly.

"Let me guess, did you think of the idea?" Adalyn asks raising an eyebrow.

"How did you know?" Tessa asks, truly shocked. "No matter, I will send your stylists in immediately."

After she has exited the room, the two girls start laughing at the irony of the situation. "I can't believe Muggles sometimes! They are so oblivious!" Adalyn laughs. _Never thought I would see the day when somebody actually likes the Dark Mark. _Just as Tessa promised, their stylists enter into the room almost a minute later. Both are men, but that doesn't really bother an almost naked Adalyn and Isabelle. After going through war, you really don't care who sees you undressed. Especially if a fellow Death Eater caught you bathing in a nearby lake.

"Now, you know about the theme for this photo shoot; Hard vs. Soft," the first one begins, who Adalyn mentally decides to call Baldy for his, obviously, bald head.

"The obvious choice is to have Blondie be the soft and the other be the hard," the other says, ignoring both girls glares at their "nicknames". "But we have decided to switch it around, but have small elements of soft and hard in each of the girl's look. For example, dark-haired girl, what's your name?"

"Adalyn."

"Gorgeous name. But, for example, Adalyn will be the soft but have that scary tattoo on her arm. Do you guys have any questions?"

"What are your names?" Isabelle asks.

"I'm Jonah," says the bald one.

"And I'm Nathaniel," his partner says. "Now let's get to work!"

* * *

_Kill me now. _Adalyn stares at herself in the mirror in disgust. Her hair has been curled into soft ringlets and the top half of it is pulled back, reminding Adalyn of a princess. Her makeup is atrocious. Her eyes are covered with pastel shades of pink, blue and green, opposed to her normal light brown. Adalyn's lips and cheeks as the icing on top of the poisonous cake. Both are a matching shade of bubblegum pink. Bubblegum pink. Adalyn glances at Isabelle jealously.

She has dark, wine colored lips with a black eye makeup surrounding the entire eye. Her hair has been crimped and teased to create a messy-ish look. Though neither option is desirable, Adalyn would rather look Goth than like a butterfly princess from Candyland. After the makeup artists are done, Jonah and Nathaniel are called back into the room. Both of them gasp and fuss over "how perfect both of us look". _Are you kidding me? I look like a pastel unicorn threw up on me. _Isabelle smirks at Adalyn and says, "Wow, I have to say you look amazing."

"Shut up, Tinkerbell," I say rolling my eyes.

"Oh no. I believe you are Tinkerbell now," the blonde says, knowing that it is going to irritate Adalyn.

"Crap, you're right," Adalyn says examining herself in the mirror.

"Come on girls! Let's go to get you clothes and begin shooting!" Nathaniel says a little too excitedly. When they reach the room where all the clothes are stored, which just so happens to be four floors up, Adalyn nearly barfs. All of her clothes are dyed leather, but in the same pastel shade as the rest of her face. And almost all of them show off her Dark Mark. Unable to resist, Adalyn sneaks a look at her left forearm and instantly regrets it. Memories come flooding back into her mind.

"_My Lord, I found the traitor among us," Bellatrix hissed. "It is the Vengradis girl."_

_Though Bellatrix was correct, she was a spy, her reason for believing Adalyn am a traitor is wrong. "She knows where Dumbledore is hiding," the evil witch whispers._

"_Is that true?" Voldemort asked as he turned to the young girl. She had proven to be a great Death Eater which had earned her a place in his high ranks. Adalyn had provided useful information about the Order by sweet talking her way into Dumbledore's Army. But little did Voldemort know, she was telling the Order much more useful information about Voldemort. Though, she was telling the truth when she said, "No, I have no idea what Bellatrix is talking about."_

"_She lies, my Lord," Bellatrix whispered. "I have seen her sneaking out of headquarters late at night."_

"_And that proves that I am sneaking out to go see Dumbledore?" Adalyn asked defensively while standing up. "In case you haven't noticed, I am sneaking out to go back to Hogwarts, which is not run by Dumbledore, but by Snape, so that people don't notice that I have gone missing that night when I get back to school!" _

_Of course, that wasn't true either. She eventually did go back to Hogwarts, but not before meeting up with her blonde best friend. Adalyn would tell all information she had acquired from the meeting and Isabelle would share a small, but non-important, detail about the Order to Adalyn._

"_You dare speak to me that way? Crucio!" Bellatrix cursed. The familiar pain of a thousand knives cutting her body returned, but Adalyn refused to scream._

"_That is enough, Bellatrix," Voldemort said. "Take her to another room to torture her. If she is truly a spy, her tongue would probably be loosened after a few hours of the Cruciatus Curse, wouldn't you think?"_

"_Yes, right away my Lord." Bellatrix smiled sadistically as she led Adalyn out of the room. Six hours. That was how long Bellatrix tortured her. After Bellatrix realized that Adalyn "knew nothing", when truly Adalyn just lied about being a spy, she left the room leaving a weak Adalyn in a fetal position on the ground. Her partnering spy, Severus Snape came into the room to help heal her, though he couldn't do much help. Whenever he tried to touch Adalyn, she would scream and curl up into a ball. Eventually, she blacked out, which allowed Snape to carry her upstairs into a spare bedroom to rest. _

"Adalyn!" Isabelle whispers. "What did I say about looking at the Mark?"

"Don't do it," Adalyn says sheepishly. The two girls don't have time to discuss the topic any longer before they were thrown into their first outfit and sent off to the photographer. She took no less than 50 photos, while Tessa screamed random, but supposedly motivating, things. And that is only the first outfit.

At 7:00, they finish changing back into their normal clothes and walk back home. Isabelle rushes ahead into the shared girl's bathroom and starts to wash off her makeup. Adalyn shuffles exhaustedly towards the bathroom. Just when she passes Riddle's door, it swings open to reveal an amused figure. Before Riddle can make a smug comment about her makeup, Adalyn shoots him a death glare and says, "Don't you even dare."

"Why aren't you heading into your room?" Riddle asked, though still clearly amused by Adalyn's face.

"You don't sleep in makeup idiot! And I could ask you the same question," she says raising an eyebrow.

"Excuse me, but since I am a human being, I do need to use the bathroom sometimes," he says. Adalyn inwardly cracks up. _It strange having the ex-Dark Lord say he needs to pee. _

"Ever heard of the saying 'too much information?'" Adalyn asked sarcastically.

"The fault is yours. You were the one to ask," Riddle points out. Adalyn just rolls her eyes and goes into the girl's bathroom.

After both girls are makeup free, they make their way into bed. A strange feeling fills the room as the two discuss a serious matter. Tom Riddle.

"How do we figure out what happened to him?" Isabelle asks.

"I don't know. I think that we should get to know him a little better," Adalyn sighs.

"We don't have time, Addie," the blonde sighs. "How about this, you can get him to give him an article of his by using your seducing Siren powers, so then I can enter his mind and find out what happened."

"That isn't right," Adalyn sighs. "Can't we just let Riddle tell us when he is ready?"

"What if he never ready? That isn't exactly the thing you tell people."

"You're right," the dark haired girl sighs. "It just doesn't feel right."

"You never feel right about using your powers," Isabelle says rolling her eyes.

"Well they aren't the noblest gifts that could be bestowed on us! Why can't we just be normal?"

"Normal is too mainstream," Tinkerbell says with a smirk.

"That is true. But seriously, what are we going to do about Riddle?" Adalyn asks. "I refuse to use my gifts on him."

"That's because you _love _him," the blonde teases. Adalyn rolls her green eyes and says, one again, "When hell freezes over."

"Denial ain't just a river in Egypt," Isabelle sings. "But if you refuse to use your powers, I guess I will just acquire something of his."

"Don't steal anything!" Adalyn hisses. "I'm tired so shut up and go to bed."

"Goodnight to you too," Isabelle says sarcastically. Unaware to both of the girls, Riddle stands outside their bedroom door, overhearing everything.

* * *

**So, Adalyn was a spy for the Order of the Phoenix, in case you didn't catch that :) I really hope you enjoyed this chapter because I had a serious case of writer's block and then BAM, I wrote the longest chapter I have ever written. As usual favorite/follow/review! Love y'all!**


	7. Chapter 6

**Still do not own Harry Potter. Which reminds me, Happy Birthday J.K. Rowling and Harry Potter! Siriusly, I do not know what I would do without you.**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

* * *

Riddle paces back and forth angrily. _How dare they lead him into believing they were actually being nice! They are just like every other person in this world! Only doing things for themselves. _After overhearing Vengradis and Gaunt talk about him a few nights ago, he has ignored them the best he can. Riddle never eats in the dining hall and never leaves his room unless he is called. Instead, he stays in his room reading the popular books, Muggle and Wizarding, which Vengradis has lent him. Though Riddle does not want anything that Vengradis has given him, after three days of being cooped in his room with nothing to do, since he does not have a wand at the moment, the books began to call his name. Currently, he is reading a rather interesting Muggle book called "Laughter in the Dark". Though it pains Riddle to admit it, he is actually enjoying it.

He takes a deep breath and sits down on his bed. _So, even though the conversation between Vengradis and Gaunt was betraying, I did find out that they have interesting abilities. Maybe I should get closer to the girls to find out about these "powers". _He decides on that plan and pulls out his book. Not long after he has read one page, the silent room is filled with someone knocking loudly on the door.

"Riddle! Can you come out here for a minute?" he hears Vengradis ask. Not wanting to talk to her at the moment, Riddle ignores her and continues reading.

"Riddle! I know you're in there! Don't make me bust down the door. And don't think for a moment that I won't do it because we both know, I would," Vengradis says. Reluctantly, Riddle gets up and opens the door. "Good day, Vengradis. How may I help you?"

"What is up with you? You're acting really pouty. It's kind of like your PMSing, except you're a guy and guys can't PMS. Unless you're not a guy. Anyways, back to my original question. What is the matter?" she rambles after Riddle opened the door.

"Nothing is the matter. I simply do not wish to spend my time among irritating Muggles," Riddle lies. _The real reason is that I overheard you talking about me like I was some sort of science experiment._

"Oh, okay," Vengradis says not fully convinced. "But I have come to invite you to a movie marathon that Tinkerbell, Jesse, Rosa, and I are having. Would you like to attend?"

"No," he says closing the door. She stops the door with her hand and says, "Let me rephrase that. Come with me. We are going to watch a bunch of movies."

Vengradis grabs his hand and pulls him into the common room, which is surprisingly empty of young kids. The couch is occupied by Gaunt and the Tate twins. Jesse scans his eyes over Riddle and asks, "Do you have anything else to wear?"

Riddle looks down at his 40's outfit and shakes his head. Of course, he has his Hogwarts uniform but he cannot wear that for obvious reasons. Jesse sighs and says, "If you want, I'll let you borrow some of my clothes."

Riddle doesn't say anything, but he is internally grateful for the offer. He is getting tired of wearing the same clothes every day. He sits down at the far end of the couch and Vengradis plops down next to him. She turns to Rosalind and asks, "What movies are we watching?"

"These this American movies that Cindy let us have for free called 'Mean Girls'. Then Livvy let us borrow her Titanic movie so we will be watching that," she says holding up the small cases. Riddle stares at the small boxes in amazement. _How can an entire movie be viewed at home on a television? _Vengradis and the male twin groan at the word Titanic while the other two teenage girls squeal with excitement.

"Why can't we watch a good movie?" Jesse groans.

"What is better than Titanic?" Gaunt asks.

"Anything!" Vengradis and Jesse say at the same time. Riddle raises a questioning eyebrow at Vengradis. She explains. "Titanic is based on the true story of the 'unsinkable ship' that sinks when it hits an iceburg. It follows the wealthy Rose and the rebellious Jack as they fall in love. But then the ship sinks, Jack and Rose almost die, then Jack actually dies because Rose doesn't let Jack on the piece of driftwood with her."

"There wasn't enough room!" Rosalind cries out defending Rose.

"They made a movie about the sinking of the Titanic?" Riddle asks trying to contain his laughter. _Muggles are stupider than I remember._

"Yes!" Isabelle states as she sits back down on the couch. "But we are watching Mean Girls first so it doesn't matter."

"How did you come across this movie again?" her twin asks.

"When I went down to the thrift shop, Cindy had just come back from her trip to America. She brought this movie with her. She watched it on the plane and said they were stupid so she gave it to me for free."

Vengradis reaches for the "remote" and hits play on the movie. After only ten minutes of watching the movie, Jesse declares that the movie is a "chick flick". Though Riddle does not know what a "chick flick" means, it is obvious that the girls like it. After taking a short break to use the restroom after the movie is over, Riddle returns to find all three girls "assigning characters". Apparently, Vengradis is Regina George, Gaunt is Karen Smith, and Tate is Gretchen Wieners. While the three teenage females quote lines from the movie, Riddle sits silently hoping that the other Tate twin will return from the restroom soon. To his luck, Jesse walks into the common room moments later and puts Titanic in.

The movie turns out to be three hours long. Not to mention, incredibly boring. The female Tate and Gaunt hold onto every word that Rose and Jack every say to each other. During this time, Vengradis has let out several audible groans. The other twin remains silent, enduring the torture without the unnecessary sound effects. When Rose requests for Jack to draw her nude, Vengradis lets out a loud, "Ew!"

"Ssh!" Gaunt and the girl twin hiss as Rose begins to strip. Vengradis rolls her eyes, but is now seated much closer to Riddle than before. The two are still not touching, but there is less than three inches of spaces between them as opposed to the previous eight inches. Time goes by and Riddle begins to fall tired. _This movie is horribly boring. Maybe I should get up and leave. _He tries to stand up, but is unsuccessful. A large amount of weight is keeping him down. Riddle looks down and sees Vengradis lying across his lap. "Vengradis get up," he hisses. When she doesn't move he tries again. "Vengradis, I said get up."

He looks down at her face. Both of her emerald green eyes are closed and her breathing is smooth and steady. Vengradis has fallen asleep on him. Riddle stares at her peaceful face. _She looks almost…beautiful. No. Vengradis is not beautiful. _For a brief moment, Riddle thinks about letting her stay there, sleeping on his lap. Nobody would notice. Jesse has fallen asleep and the two girls are engrossed in the movie. But then his mind flashes back to the conversation Vengradis and Gaunt had a few days ago.

"_How do we figure out what happened to him?" Gaunt asks._

"_I don't know. I think that we should get to know him a little better," Vengradis sighs._

"_We don't have time, Addie," the blonde sighs. "How about this, you can get him to give him an article of his by using your seducing Siren powers, so then I can enter his mind and find out what happened."_

"_That isn't right," Vengradis sighs. "Can't we just let Riddle tell us when he is ready?"_

"_What if he never ready? That isn't exactly the thing you tell people."_

"_You're right," the dark haired girl sighs. "It just doesn't feel right."_

"_You never feel right about using your powers," Gaunt says annoyed_

"_Well they aren't the noblest gifts that could be bestowed on us! Why can't we just be normal?"_

"_Normal is too mainstream," Gaunt says jokingly. _

Riddle clenches his jaw. He looks down at the sleeping girl on his lap. Anger overpowers him and he stands up quickly, causing Vengradis to fall onto the ground with a loud bang.

* * *

Adalyn wakes up suddenly. The last thing she remembers is slowly falling down into someone's lap. _Oh, crap. That someone was Riddle. _She looks up in to see Riddle's tall figure exiting the room. She follows him down the hall towards their rooms. "Hey, Riddle! Wait up!"

He turns on his heel to look at Adalyn. "Is there something that you require? Because I am rather tired and would like to go to bed."

"Um, I would just like to apologize for falling asleep on you. I didn't really mean to," she says sheepishly.

"I will accept that poor apology on one condition."

"And what is that?"

"Tell me about these 'powers' of yours," he whispers. "And don't try to lie, I know you have them."

It is only then that Adalyn realizes how close they are. There are only inches between the two of their faces. _How the hell did he figure out about the powers! Well, he was the Dark Lord. He did earn that title for a reason. _Adalyn looks conflicted. One part of her brain screams '_Don't tell him anything! He will just use it against you!' _The other side says, '_He already knows about your powers. Why not just tell him?' _Adalyn sighs. _Why is this so hard? _She decides to tell him about her powers, but not about any of the limitations. Unlike Isabelle who could use her gift anywhere at any time, Adalyn had found that she could only practice her gift in areas that have Dark Magic hidden in them. These places include Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, the Room of Requirement, and other assorted places that she has discovered over the years. One of the few places that surprised her is the orphanage. But thinking about it, Riddle used to live here when he practiced Dark Arts...

Realizing that Riddle is waiting for answer, Adalyn reluctantly says, "Yes, it's true. Tinkerbell and I have gifts that most wizards do not. She can read all your thoughts with a single touch of one of your items and I am a Siren. That basically means I can bend your mind to make you do whatever I wish. How did you come across this knowledge?"

Riddle does his annoying smirk and says, "Let us just say that you should keep your voices down when talking in your room."

_Damn it, Isabelle! How many times have I told you to keep your voice down? _Adalyn looks up at Riddle, showing no sign that his newfound discovery of her powers bothered her. "I must tell you, Riddle, that if a word of this spreads, I will cut off the part of you that makes you a man and staple it to your forehead."

Though he tries to hide it, Adalyn can see Riddle gulp. She gives him an overly sweet smile and enters her room. Once inside the room, she scolds herself for not using a Silencing Charm on the door. _You're a witch, Adalyn! You should start acting like one!_ She doesn't even bother changing out of her clothes as she lies down onto the bed. As she drifts off to sleep, her mind flutters with a million questions.

_What else has Riddle heard?_

_Does he know about the Dark Mark?_

_Why isn't this bed as comfy and warm as Riddle's lap?_

_Whoa, where did that come from?_

_Damn you my subconscious mind!_

_I'm going to bed now._

* * *

**The thought of Voldemort watching Mean Girls and Titanic made me laugh. A lot. Also, I know that Mean Girls hadn't been invented yet, but I couldn't resist. Next chapter they will go back to the Wizarding World. **

**Please tell me what you think of the story by leaving reviews/follows/favorites! It really feels nice when I see that I have a new email from Fanfiction!**


	8. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I think by we all know that I do not own Harry Potter**

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**Chapter 7**

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Adalyn rolls onto her side to look at the clock that sits on her wooden night stand. It reads 6:30. She groans and tries to fall back asleep. After her many attempts fail, she rolls out of bed. Adalyn throws on a tank top and tight leggings with leg warmers before heading to the kitchen to grab a water bottle. Remembering her Dark Mark, she sneaks back into her shared room to grab an oversized sweatshirt. She always enjoyed running and was very disappointed to find out that the only sport Hogwarts has was Quidditch; which she finds absolutely pointless. Adalyn writes Isabelle a note explaining her absence before silently sneaking out of the orphanage. Technically, since she is under the age of 18, she must be accompanied by any adult at all times, but no one really cares.

She looks around the sleeping streets of London and sighs. She misses her home before she came to the orphanage. Though Adalyn was born in Paris, her parents immediately moved to Wales. She missed the beautiful countryside with the tall mountains towering over the grassy fields. But after living in London for nine years, you get used to the dull gray buildings and narrow alleyways. It has a beauty of its own. Adalyn stops in the middle of Blackfriars Bridge to catch her breath. She stares down at the Thames River flowing underneath her. Lost in thought, she doesn't notice the two men approaching her.

One grabs her shoulder and throws a large hand over her mouth. Adalyn kicks and screams but the man is too strong. She tries to tap into her Siren abilities, but there is no Dark Magic around the bridge. She struggles as the other man goes through her purse. _Good luck finding anything useful. _The man slams the purse down in frustration causing its contents to splatter on the stone ground. A sickening crack is heard as her wand falls to the ground and snaps in two. _You will pay for that_. "Why don't you have any money?" the man cries in frustration.

"I'm an orphan. What did you expect?" Adalyn says pushing the man's hand out of the way.

"Fine. We will just have to take you. I am Harrison and this is Jeffery," he says motioning to the man that has her wrapped in his arms. Adalyn's eyes narrow as they begin to drag her away. Before they can travel six feet, Adalyn kicks her kidnapper in the crotch and bolts. Her running shoes make no noise against the cold stone of Blackfriars Bridge. She is almost off of the bridge when a strong hand grabs her and pulls her back. She glances up to see that Jeffery has taken her captive once more.

"That was not a smart thing to do, miss," Harrison hisses. "You will be punished for that."

Out of thin air, a tall figure appears and punches Harrison to the ground. This provides a distraction allowing Adalyn to break free of Jeffery's firm grip and push him to the ground. She shoves him against the edge of the bridge. "Don't ever attack me again," she whispers menacingly before walking away. As Adalyn walks away, she hears a splash. She whirls around to see that Jeffery has fallen over the edge and into the water of the Thames. _Oops. _Adalyn runs back to where the figure and Harrison are fighting. It seems that Harrison has pinned the tall stranger underneath him. Adalyn rushes forward and jumps on top of Harrison. She bites his shoulder and he jumps off of the man.

"What is your problem?" he cries nursing his wounded shoulder.

"I will give you three seconds to get out of here," Adalyn threatens.

"Why should I take orders from you?" Harrison asks.

"Well, I could always push you into the Thames so you can be with your friend," she says sweetly. Harrison bolts away quickly as she rushes to the stranger's side. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Vengradis," a familiar voice groans.

"Riddle?"

"Yes, it's me," Riddle says as he stands up.

"What are you doing here?" Adalyn asks. "Did you follow me?"

"Yes. I heard you sneaking out and I wanted to see where you were going. Especially since you are dressed so scandalously," he explains while eyeballing her outfit. "I do believe that you should be thanking me."

"Why should I thank you?" she asks.

"I did just save your life."

"No, you punched one guy while I cornered another one, accidentally pushing him off the bridge. Then I came over and got another goon off of you," Adalyn recites. "I had it cov- oh, crap!"

"What?" Riddle asks.

"My wand!" she cries as she begins to pick up the spilled contents of her purse. "It is snapped in half!"

"We can simply get you a new one at Ollivander's when we go to Diagon Alley today," Riddle says not bothering to help Adalyn pick up her purse.

"Why would we be going to Diagon Ally today?"

"A letter arrived from Hogwarts right before I left to go after you. It said term starts on October 1st. it also included a list of school supplies," Riddle explains. "Now let's go back to the orphanage."

They walk back in silence. The sun is beginning to rise and the sky burst into a beautiful array of red, orange, and gold. For the first time, Adalyn is able to get a good look at Riddle. His hair is slightly disheveled and he is beginning to form a black eye. But the thing the shocks her most is his clothes. They are actually somewhat fashionable and definitely not his dull outfit from the 40s. Before Adalyn can stop herself, the question comes spilling out of her mouth. "Where did you get those clothes?"

"The male Tate twin let me borrow them," Riddle says. Beneath his uncaring tone, Adalyn can detect a sliver of embarrassment.

"To tell you the truth, I prefer your old fashioned 40s clothes to this," Adalyn says truthfully. Her face flushes slightly and she stares down at her feet. _Why did I say that? _

"Really? And why is that?"

"You look more natural wearing your old clothes."

"I will keep that in mind," Riddle says as he opens the door to the orphanage.

* * *

Adalyn leads Isabelle and Riddle into the Leaky Cauldron. All eyes turn to stare at Riddle and the room becomes suddenly silent. As if he is oblivious to the stares, Riddle struts through the pub with his head held high. As they head to the back entrance leading to Diagon Alley, they hear the room burst into hushed murmurs. Adalyn rolls her eyes as Isabelle taps the bricks in order to reveal the magical alley. The wall opens up to reveal the bustling streets of Diagon Alley. Young students rush around with their parents, trying to navigate through the masses of older students. Adalyn smiles at the amount of people who have survived the war and are now able to go to Hogwarts. She turns to her fellow companions and says, "I think we should stop by Ollivander's first. It looks like the shop is empty. Plus I feel useless without my wand."

Once Riddle and Adalyn had returned to the orphanage, Isabelle had ambushed them with loads of questions. Adalyn calmly explained the scenario, making sure to say that she was perfectly capable of handling herself. Riddle and Isabelle both nod and they make their way to the wand shop near the end of the road. Adalyn carries the money from the photo shoot, transferred into Wizarding money, in her purse. It is hidden by a series of charms so that if anyone mugged her, they would not see the money. The bell rings as they step into the store. It is eerily silent as if no one is in there.

"Hello? Is anyone is here?" Adalyn calls out. Out of nowhere, Mr. Ollivander comes walking out of the back, causing the two girls to jump.

"Good day! What can I help you with today?" he asks cheerfully.

"You see, my wand was recently broken and Riddle had his wand confiscated and destroyed since it was full of Dark Magic…"

"What Vengradis is trying to say is that we need new wands." Riddle interrupts Adalyn since she was beginning to ramble.

"Of course, of course," the wand maker says as he hurries to the back of the shop. He comes back with two wands, one for Riddle and one for Adalyn. He hands the first one to Adalyn and says, "Yew tree, unicorn hair, 10 inches, pliable."

She accepts the wand hesitantly and gives it a small flick. A fragile vase sitting on the desk explodes, causing Isabelle to laugh silently. Adalyn apologizes and gently sets the wand back into the case. Ollivander gives Riddle the other wand. "Elm tree, dragon heartstring, 12 inches, reasonably supple."

Riddle gives the wand a small wave, but nothing happens. _At least it is better than exploding a vase. _Ollivander rushes back to return with two more wands. This time, he hands the wand to Riddle first. After the wand is placed in his hand, the room seems to get warmer. Adalyn glances over at Riddle to find an odd, glowing aura around him. _Well, at least he found his wand. _The old man takes the wand from the younger boy's hand. He examines it while saying, "Olive tree, phoenix tail feather, 14 inches, unyielding. A very strong wand for a very strong wizard." He hands the wand back to Riddle in its case. Riddle nods his head as a thank you and goes to take a seat by Isabelle.

Needless to say, the other wand was not Adalyn's wand. And neither was the next one. Or the next one after that. Or the one after that. She lets out a frustrated sigh. "Is there any way you can fix my old wand?"

"I'm afraid not, my dear," Ollivander says. His eyes suddenly light up and he rushes to the back of the store. He returns moments later with a single box in his hand. It looks old and dusty as if it had been kept in a dark room for ages, which Adalyn suspects it has.

"This is the first wand I ever had in my shop," Ollivander says handing her the box. She opens the lid carefully and peers inside. A beautiful wand lays inside surrounded by lush velvet and thin red fabric. It is a light brown shade that matches the look of chocolate. The handle has a simple, Victorian design that helps her grip it. Adalyn picks it up and a cool breeze flows through the room. Her usually straight hair curls in the wind as Ollivander smiles fondly at her.

"It seems we have found your wand," he states. "It is made from the sycamore trees that helped build this shop. The core is a dragon heartstring. The wand is 13 inches and reasonably supple. It has the ability to do great things."

"Thank you, sir," Adalyn whispers as she admires her new wand. The group quickly pays as they head back out to the bustling streets of Diagon Alley. They stop in Flourish & Botts to pick up their new school books. When Adalyn turns around to ask Riddle a question, she is surprised to see Harry Potter in his place.

"Hello, Harry," Adalyn says politely.

"Hello, Adalyn. How has your summer been?" the boy asks.

"It has been nice though Riddle has been a pain in the arse," she says truthfully.

"Riddle? As in Tom Riddle?"

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. "Yes. Dumbledore charged Isabelle and I with the task of helping him adapt to life in the 20th century. How has your summer been?"

"I've been helping Remus Lupin raise his newborn son Teddy. He has become distraught after his wife, Nymphadora, died in the Battle of Hogwarts," Harry says solemnly. "That reminds me. Lupin is the new DADA teacher!"

"That is excellent! He was always my favorite teacher that we had for that subject," Adalyn says happily. "Who will be watching Teddy while he is teaching?"

"I believe Bill and Fleur Weasley have stepped up to the job."

"That is excellent! I have to go pay. I'll see you in school!" Adalyn says making her way to the front of the shop. She hops in line with Isabelle and Riddle who is staring at the books angrily.

"Why are you giving the books a death glare?" Adalyn asks him curiously.

"Prices have gone up since the 40s," is all Riddle says as he pays for the textbooks.

After stopping by Madame Malkin's to buy new robes, the trio makes their way to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor for a small snack before heading back to the orphanage. They disguise their bags as normal Muggle shopping bags before heading inside the stone walls of the orphanage. Once inside their room, Adalyn and Isabelle put away their new books and uniform into their Hogwarts trunk. Adalyn slips into her pajamas and climbs into bed. Isabelle is snoring loudly, making it obvious that she is already asleep. Adalyn slides her wand underneath her pillow, a habit she acquired from the war, and drifts into a dreamless sleep.

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**Just so we are clear, all the trees that are mentioned are native trees to England. Plus, the Blackfriars Bridge is a real bridge that crosses over the Thames River. One last thing, I know the orphanage was torn down and made into London office buildings, but I did say that story was AU.**

**I finished The Fault in Our Stars in one day. Suggestion: Do not under any circumstances do that. I am now an emotional wreck. I also finished the Clockwork Prince, which is where I learned out Blackfriars Bridge. **

**I would also like to say that I will be leaving for overnight swim camp tomorrow so I will not not be updating any of my stories for a little while. **

**I really hope you are enjoying the story! If you are, please let me know thorugh reviews/follows/favorites/PMs!**


	9. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

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**Chapter Eight**

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"Come on! We are going to be late!" Isabelle calls out to her fellow companions from over her shoulder. "The train leaves in three minutes!"

"I'm coming!" Adalyn shouts back. She glances over her shoulder to check if Riddle is still following behind her. She spots Riddle only a few feet back, pushing through a mob of Muggles. He looks greatly displeased once he finally catches up to her. Adalyn smirks as she rushes through the brick wall. Once out of the darkness, the bustling sight of Platform 9 ¾ fills her vision. She sees parents waving goodbye to the young first years. Their tear stained faces make Adalyn wonder. _What would it have been like if my parents came to say goodbye? _She brushes off the thought and climbs aboard the huge train. Riddle is only moments behind her. He stumbles slightly while stepping into the train. Out of instinct, Adalyn grabs his smooth, cold hand and asks, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he snaps. Riddle pulls his hand away and pushes past Adalyn. Though she has gotten use to this kind of behavior, she can't help but feel a bit hurt at his coldness towards her. Adalyn shrugs it off and follows Riddle and Isabelle down the narrow hallways of the Hogwarts Express. Isabelle finally stops in front of an empty compartment. She slides open the door and the trio throws their bags over top of the seats. An awkward silence fills the room. Adalyn struggles with trying to find something to say. _What can you say that can include both Isabelle and Riddle? _Before she can answer, the door slides open and Draco Malfoy pops his head in. "Do you mind if I sit here? Everywhere else is full."

"Yeah, come on in Draco," Adalyn says smiling. Before the war, Draco had been in her house. The two became closer though classes. Both of them had almost identical schedules and were always paired together when teachers required them to do partner work. During the Second War, Draco helped Adalyn obtain information for the Light Side. He also gave her useful tips on how to be more convincing with her loyalty to the Death Eaters. While in the Battle of Hogwarts, Draco, Adalyn, and Isabelle fought side by side, saving each other's life countless amounts of times.

"Thanks," Draco says plopping down on the bench next to Adalyn. He turns to Riddle and says, "I do not believe we have formally met. My name is Draco Malfoy."

The blonde boy holds out his hand for Riddle to shake. The darker haired boy stares at the hand with a look of disgust. He does not shake Draco's hand. Instead, Riddle gives him a calculating look before saying, "I'm Riddle."

"Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," Draco sings in Adalyn's ear. She covers up her laugh with a fake cough. Riddle glares at Draco, but before he can say anything the high-pitched train whistle blows. The Hogwarts Express begins its long journey to Hogwarts.

Riddle sulks in the corner as he watches Adalyn and Isabelle laugh with Draco. Though he would not admit it, he felt left out as the three laugh about the time when Draco was turned into a ferret. Adalyn shifts her gaze over to Riddle. She sees his scowl and suddenly feels bad about leaving him out. "Hey, Riddle," she says getting his attention. "What do you think Hogwarts is going to look like now?"

"I'm sure it will have the same magical charm as it did when it was first built," Riddle stated.

"I agree with Riddle," Isabelle pipes up. "I hope they don't change Hogwarts too much."

"Imagine how much barer the walls are going to feel," Adalyn says solemnly. During the battle, many of the talking portraits were destroyed. Others fled from their paintings, leaving the empty frame to be burned in a fire or destroyed by a rouge spell. The mood darkens in the compartment. It hurts everybody, even Riddle, to know that Hogwarts had almost been destroyed. Their childhood home gone with a blink of an eye.

Draco is the first to recover. He puts on a joking smile and asks, "So, Riddle, how do you think people are going to react to you coming to Hogwarts?"

"I suspect they will either tell me they hate me or cower at me from afar," Riddle says coldly.

"Is it true you don't remember anything?" the blonde boy inquires.

"It is hard to explain. It was like watching another person. As if I were an outsider watching myself do those things through my own body."

"That sounds really weird," Isabelle says. Adalyn remains silent as she stares at the ground. For the first time since the war ended, she feels a sliver of pity for Riddle. She can only imagine how horrible it was to watch yourself kill all of those innocent people. But the same anger bubbles inside of Adalyn, overtaking the guilt. _If he really wanted to do something, he should have tried to stop. He could have tried to not kill Snape. He could have tried. But he didn't. He just watched it all happen. I hate him. I hate him for what he did to me. What I was forced to do. I didn't volunteer to be a spy. I was chosen because I was the most innocent. _

"Adalyn, I asked you a question," Draco says.

"Sorry, I was zoning out. What was the question?"

"I asked you what you thought about the new Prefect system."

"I am curious just like everyone else," Adalyn states. On the letter that included the list of school supplies, a small note was left at the bottom. It said that a new Prefect system would be put into order at the start of the term. It gave no other details. Adalyn and Isabelle had stayed up all night thinking of possible new systems, but neither was successful. The old Prefect system was all they had ever known.

"I hear that they will be resorting of," Isabelle whispers, as if someone was going to overhear them.

"Really?" Draco asks shocked. In the corner, Riddle raises an eyebrow. This is news to him and is quite curious as to what Isabelle is going to say.

"I know! It's going to take forever," the petite blonde groans. Adalyn rolls her eyes. "I'm sure that is the least of our problems. What if we end up in different houses?"

"I'm sure that would be dreadful," Riddle says rolling his eyes. Adalyn gives him a cold glare before turning back to Draco. The group converses throughout the rest of the journey, with Riddle's occasional sarcastic comment. The train pulls into the Hogsmeade station. Adalyn hears Hagrid call for all the first year to come aboard the boats. Adalyn smiles to herself as she exits the train. _It's good to know some things never change. _When they make their way to the carriages, most of the students gasp at the sight of the Thestrals. After going through war everyone has seen at least one death. Though Adalyn never told anybody, she could always see the magical beasts. At age ten, she had witnessed a murder. Terrified, she had kept her mouth shut and never told a soul, besides Isabelle, about what she saw. The younger students stare at the Thestrals with terrified eyes. Adalyn sighs and steps on top of one of the carriages.

"Hello, can I have your attention?" she addresses the crowd. A silence falls over the mass of students. "Many of you are probably wondering what these creatures pulling the carriages are. They are called Thestrals. They are only visible once you have seen death. They are perfectly harmless so you can all board the carriages and get to Hogwarts."

Adalyn sits down in the carriage. Moments later, the rest of her compartment climbs in. once all the students have gotten over their fear of the Thestrals, the carriages make their way to Hogwarts. As the castle comes into view, everyone turns their heads upwards. There are no noticeable differences with the exterior of the castle. It looks as if nothing had happened at all. Images flash trough Adalyn's mind.

_Harry Potter hanging limp and dead in Hagrid's arms._

_Fred Weasley, a Gryffindor who would give her good ideas for pranks, lying dead on the ground._

_Masses of wizards and witches covered in blood sobbing over dead family members._

_Severus Snape found dead in the Shrieking Shack. The mysterious man who would look after her while she spied for the Order._

Adalyn glances at her fellow companions. It seems that everyone, with the exception of Riddle, has similar thoughts running through their heads. Riddle's eyes portray a different emotion. Guilt. Though it quickly vanishes once he realizes that she is staring at him, but Adalyn is positive she saw it. _Does he actually feel guilty about what he had done?_

The carriages pull up to the gates of Hogwarts and the students start to file into the castle. When they enter the Great Hall, they find seven tables lined up with the ends facing the teacher's table and huge double doors in which they entered. The first years are already sitting at the table at the far left. It is obvious what they are supposed to do. The students slowly go sit at a table, arranging themselves by year instead of House. Adalyn sits down at the table at the far right end of the hall. The discomfort is obvious when Riddle sits down across form her, which happens to be next to Cho Chang. The girl gives Riddle a look of sadness and pain before turning back to her friends. Adalyn doesn't blame her for being uncomfortable. The murderer of her ex-boyfriend just sat down next to her.

Adalyn scans the table at the head of the room. All the teachers, with the exception of Snape, have survived the war. Remus Lupin sits in Snape's spot with grief in his eyes. The poor man lost his wife in the war. Now he is stuck raising a child on his own. And, of course, he is werewolf which makes things even more complicated. Adalyn wonders why he even accepted the job. Dumbledore stands up and the hall falls silent.

"Students, I am sure you have noticed several changes to Hogwarts. First, I would like to welcome back Professor Lupin. He will be, once again, teaching you Defense Against the Dark Arts. As many of you may have heard, we will be sorting you again. It is just like before; we will place the Sorting Hat on top of your head and it will declare what house you belong in. Do not be alarmed if you are sorted into a new house. War changes you. Let us begin with the resorting."

McGonagall starts with the first years. They sit nervously on top of the stool as the hat is placed upon their heads. It evaluates their brain before shouting one of the four houses; Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, or Slytherin. Next he moves onto the second years; then third; then fourth; etc. Finally, it is time for the seventh years. McGonagall makes her way down the list of names, some of which Adalyn doesn't even recognize.

"Gaunt, Isabelle!"

The blonde girl slowly gets up from her seat. She walks up to the stool and McGonagall places the tattered old hat on top of her head. It scrunches it's "face" up, as if it is thinking hard. Isabelle's eyes widen and she shakes her head furiously. The hat sighs before calling out, "Slytherin!"

Isabelle smiles brightly as she makes her way back to the seventh year table. As she is seated, she whispers over to Adalyn, "The hat almost put me in Huffelpuff. I have never been so grateful to be a Gaunt in my entire life."

Adalyn laughs as she watches Hermione Granger be placed back in Gryffindor. The sorting continues and soon the hall becomes fidgety. It is nearing seven o'clock and the feast still has not started. Also, no real changes are happening in the sorting. Everyone is going back to their original houses, as far as Adalyn knows. The one real shocker is Draco Malfoy. The hat is silent for a moment before calling out, "Ravenclaw!"

Once Draco is back at the table, Adalyn raises an eyebrow at him. The boy shrugs and says, "I simply do not believe in what Slytherin's believe in anymore."

To no one's surprise, Riddle is placed back in Slytherin. It makes Adalyn question his intentions greatly. Then again, she is also hoping to remain in Slytherin with her best friend. Finally it is Adalyn's turn to go up.

"Vengradis, Adalyn!"

She struts up to the front, showing no signs of the nervousness that is racing through her body. The hat is placed upon her head and begins to go through her mind.

"_Interesting, very interesting," _the hat says in her mind.

"_What is interesting? Please do not place me in another house!" _Adalyn says worriedly.

"_Do not worry. You are still a Slytherin through and through. I was just referring to some of your newer thoughts concerning a certain Tom Riddle."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_It is not my place to tell you," _the hat says mischievously before shouting out, "Slytherin!"

Adalyn hurries back to her seat with a million questions flooding through her mind at the speed of a jet. _What does the hat mean? I hate Riddle. He ruined my life. _After Blaise Zabini is sorted back into Slytherin, the entire Great Hall lets out an audible sigh. It is finally time to eat dinner. Before the students can begin stuffing their faces with food, Dumbledore stands up to address the crowd.

"Students, I know many of you are anxious to begin the feast, but there is one more announcement that I must make. Many of you have heard that we have decided to have a change in our Prefect system. Instead of having Prefects in fifth, sixth, and seventh years, with the addition of a Head Boy and Girl, we have decided to have House Heads. These House Heads will be seventh year students. They will have the same responsibilities as Head Boy and Girl once had. We are eliminating Prefects so that the House Heads are the sole leaders. A boy and girl from each house have been selected. They will all room together, and share a common room," Dumbledore explains. The hall has broken into hushed whispers about who the new House Heads will be. Some have even gone as far as to take bets.

"Now I am sure you are all curious about who shall be representing each house. For Huffelpuff, we have Hannah Abbott and Justin Finch-Fletchley."

The hall gives a polite applause as the two Hufflepuffs smile brightly and congratulate each other. Dumbledore quiets the students down before beginning his speech again. "From the Ravenclaw house, Luna Lovegood and Draco Malfoy."

I turn to my left to look at Draco. He is in a state of shock. I whisper in his ear, "Do you think Dumbledore knew you were going to be sorted into Ravenclaw?"

"I don't know," he whispers back snapping out of his surprised daze.

"Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley will be representing the Gryffindor house."

_That's a shocker. _Adalyn rolls her eyes. She never particularly liked the "Golden Trio". Harry is nice enough, but they don't really click. Both of their personalities are drastically different. Harry is much more heroic and naïve, while Adalyn is cunning and perspective; qualities of a good Slytherin. Ron Weasley never trusted her. Since she is friends with Draco, he has always believed that she is secretly evil and plotting the trio's demise. Finally, she came to Hermione Granger. Adalyn has always been smarter than the Gryffindor Princess, but her big mouth got her on the bad side of many teachers. Hermione always gave her looks of distaste when she spoke out in class that Adalyn returned with her own icy glare. Yes, she and Hermione never got along. But she is not impolite to them. They treat each other with respect when talking to each other, but they are never seen hanging around together.

"Finally, the Slytherin house. I have appointed Adalyn Vengradis and Tom Riddle to represent the Slytherins."

Three thoughts run though Adalyn's head.

_Yay! I'm a House Head!_

_Damn it, I have to room away from Isabelle._

_Wait, I'm going to be sharing a common room with Granger. And Weasley. And Riddle. Crap._

The hall falls silent, even the teachers are in a state of shock. It is obvious that appointing Riddle as a House Head is not a decision that had been discussed. Dumbledore, with a twinkle in his silvery eyes, says, "Let us give a round of applause for our new House Heads."

One person begins to applaud. Others slowly follow in suit, still shocked that the ex-Lord Voldemort has been given a position of leadership. Adalyn stares at the tall boy who sits across from her. _A whole school year with Riddle? Well, he was already going to be sharing a common room with me._ The food magically appears in front of them and the table of seventh years begins to eat. Adalyn can barely eat anything. She is worried. _Is Dumbledore crazy? How can he expect everyone to get along? That group of students is like a time bomb waiting to explode._

"It seems that you are not eating anything," Riddle states looking at her almost full plate. "Since I am finished eating, would you like to accompany me up to the new common room?"

Adalyn nods hesitantly, slightly taken aback by Riddle's sudden politeness. They exit the Great Hall and make their way to the Grand Staircase. The duo begins to walk up the first stairwell, but before Adalyn can fully take a step up, the staircase abruptly moves. She loses her footing, causing her to dangle from the staircase. She accidentally looks down to see a very long drop. Though they are only a single staircase up from the floor most classes and the Great Hall are on, there are still many floors underneath the school, like the dungeons. Adalyn's hand slips from her firm grip on the edge of the stairwell. She braces herself for the long, and potentially deadly, drop. But it does not come. Instead, Riddle quickly grabs her hand and lifts her up. Adalyn flushes slightly before muttering a 'thank you' under her breath.

She didn't like the way Riddle's touch felt. It was cold, but inviting. His smooth hand quickly found its way back into the pockets of his robe. He smirks at her and says, "You really should be more careful. It would be a shame for you to survive an entire war, only to die from accidentally tripping on the stairwell."

"Accidentally tripping? Can one trip purposefully?" Adalyn inquires raising an eyebrow.

"You can only imagine," he says. They make their way up to the portrait of the inventor Edgar Stroulger. The painting used to contain a secret passage way, but it has been remodeled into a dormitory. A plump man with brown hair and a long pointed beard pears down through an odd magnifying contraption at Adalyn and Riddle. "You must be the new students that will be rooming behind my portrait. Password?"

Adalyn remains silent, expecting Riddle to say the password. He glances over at Adalyn sheepishly and admits, "I've seem to have forgotten the password. Would you mind?"

Adalyn turns to Edgar and says, "_Surreptitiousness."_

"Excellent pronunciation, miss. Do you know what it means?" the portrait asks.

"Yes. It means to be done stealthy."

"Very good, miss. Might I inquire your name?"

"Adalyn Vengradis," she says proudly.

"Well, Miss Vengradis, you and your companion may enter," he says swinging the portrait open wide. Riddle scowls, obviously displeased that Adalyn was praised. He mutters something under his breath as he walks into the huge common room. The area is huge. Long banners of each of the houses hang around the circular room. Four couches, each one being one of the four house's colors, are arranged in a circular pattern around a rug with the Hogwarts symbol on it. Though the common room is inviting, it lacks the feel of the Slytherin common room that both Adalyn and Riddle are used to.

Before either of them can comment on their new living space, a red-faced Ron Weasley comes bursting through the portrait. He stalks right up to Riddle and says, "I don't know what kind of Dark Magic you used to gain this position, but I will not have it! I will be speaking to Dumbledore about this!"

"Ronald!" Hermione scolds as she rushes into the room. "I thought you said you were going to be civil."

"With the man that killed my brother?" Ron shouts back.

"Let us all just calm down for a moment," Draco says leading the rest of the House Heads into the room.

"Oh, not you! I refuse to do anything with a murderer and betrayers!" Ron shouts at Riddle, Adalyn, and Draco.

That is the last straw for Adalyn. She whirls around and glares at Ron Weasley straight in the eye. Like Ron, she is very tall and has no problem staring him down. "Betrayers? I don't know if you noticed, but we were fighting for the Light in the Battle of Hogwarts. And Riddle is not a murderer. He did not have control over what happened to him. So you better shut your mouth before I sneak into your room at night and sew it shut for you!"

Everyone stares at Adalyn in surprise. Only then did she realize what she had just done. She had just defended Riddle. Something that probably has never happened before. Recovering quickly, she says, "I will be in my room, if anybody needs me. Until then, please try to think of more intelligent things to say."

Adalyn storms up the one, out of the four, stairwells marked Slytherin. At the top of the spiral staircase, two wooden doors are found marked with Adalyn and Riddle's names. She, obviously, enters the dorm with her name on it. The rooms are enchanted to suit the person's liking. Adalyn's room has a lime green and white color scheme. Everything is crisp, sharp, and organized. She finds her trunk on top of her bed and she begins to unpack. During this time, she hears Riddle make his way into his room. Adalyn wonders what Riddle's room looks like. Curiosity gets the best of her as she exits her room and knocks on Riddle's door. He opens it up and looks at her surprised. "What do you want?"

"I was just wondering what your room looked like. May I come in?" she asks. Her face flushes a light pink. Adalyn did not realize how...suggestive the previous comment sounded.

"No."

"Oh, okay. Goodnight, Riddle."

"Goodnight, Vengradis."

He shuts the door and Adalyn returns to her room. She sighs and curses under her breath. _How could she be so stupid? Of course, Riddle is not going to allow her into his room. He is Riddle! _She finishes unpacking before a soft knock is heard on the door. She swings it open wide, revealing a distraught Draco. Disappointment clouds her face when she sees that it is not the tall, Slytherin boy she expected.

"Well you don't look happy to see me," Draco teases.

"Sorry, I was expecting someone else," Adalyn admits ushering him in.

"Who? Wait let me guess, is it Weasley?"

"Very funny. Now is there any reason why you decided to come knocking on my door or are you just here to annoy me?" Adalyn asks flopping herself down on the bed.

"I came to see how you are feeling," Draco says.

"Why would I be feeling down?"

"Well, Weasley said some pretty harsh things…"

"Draco, its Weasley. I think I can manage," Adalyn laughs. "But I find it sweet that you came to check on me."

"Yes, yes," Draco mutters turning slightly pink. "I also came to tell you that the first HH meeting is to be held in one week."

"HH?" Adalyn asks.

"House Head," Draco clarifies.

"Thanks. I'll make sure to be there. What time?" she asks as Draco begins to leave the room.

"Right after dinner."

"Great. Goodnight, Draco."

"Goodnight, Adalyn."

"Say some extra prayers tonight," Adalyn says.

"Why?" Draco asks.

"We are going to need all the help we can get if we want to survive the year without anyone murdering a fellow House Head."

* * *

**What do you think? Your feedback really means a lot to me! This is the longest chapter I have ever written! I spent a lot of time trying to add descriptive words and such. Sorry I haven't updated recently, I have been away at swim camp and only got back yesterday. I am going to bed now. Please leave me follows/favorites/reviews for me to find in the morning!**


	10. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

* * *

The school year starts off relatively normal. Adalyn is placed in all Auror level classes, a new level they added at the beginning of the school year. This, of course, means that Riddle is in all of her classes with her. The two rival with Hermione to see who is top of the class. Today, Adalyn is sitting in Potions class with Isabelle. Riddle sits behind her. She can feel his steady gaze on her back as Slughorn explains the day's lesson.

"Quiet down, class. Today we will be having a contest," he says. Adalyn's raises her eyebrows. _A contest? Does he not realize her has the three brightest students of the age in one class? _"Yes, yes. It is very exciting. Your task is to brew the hardest potion you know. Whoever brews the hardest potion correctly, wins no homework for the rest of the semester."

Adalyn smirks. _Now this is getting interesting. _She raises her hand and asks, "Professor, what ingredients may we use?"

"Excellent question, Miss Vengradis. You may use anything you can find in the classroom."

"Are we allowed to visit your private stocks?"

"I guess that would be all right," Slughorn mutters slightly flustered. Adalyn begins to think of all the potions that she can brew. Many advanced potions that she knows, like the Drink of Despair, would have her thrown into out of school for practicing Dark Magic. She sighs and runs her hand through her hair. She looks around to see that Riddle and Hermione had already started to work on their potions. She audibly groans, catching Riddle's attention. He leans in closer and asks, "Having trouble?"

"Sadly, all my advanced potions contain Dark Magic," she explains with a smirk. Riddle raises an eyebrow, but says nothing. He watches the green-eyed witch as she struggles to think of a potion. She is an enigma. She has secrets and Riddle is determined to figure them out.

Adalyn can feel Riddle's calculating glare on her back once more. She thinks of Riddle. He is a mystery. She is like a detective. She lives to solve mysteries. _Riddle! That's it! _She rushes back into the stocks, both classroom and private, and grabs all the ingredients she needs. Before she met Riddle, Dumbledore gave both girls a file about his life. According to the notes, his mother used the Amortenia potion on Tom Riddle Sr., causing him to have an obsession with her. After she was carrying his child, she stopped giving him the potion. Tom Riddle Sr. was furious and threw her onto the streets. Yes, the Amortenia potion is the potion Adalyn is going to brew.

It is an extremely advanced potion, not many witches and wizards can brew it. But Adalyn has no doubt in her mind that she will be able to pull it off. She works diligently, making up for the time lost that she spent choosing the potion. Since it is a Double Potions day, the class has two hours to make their potions instead of the usual one. Out of the corner of her eye, she sees Isabelle working on an Aging potion. Adalyn knows her friend is capable of making great potions, so she is not worried about her finished product at all. As Adalyn mutters the final incantation under her breath, the potion begins to exude the most wonderful of smells. She takes a deep sniff, her nostrils filling with the smell of salty sea water, freshly baked brownies, chocolate, and the smell of the London streets after a fresh rain fall. Isabelle leans in close to Adalyn and asks, "What smells so good?"

"It is my potion," Adalyn says vaguely.

"Is that… did you brew Amortenia?" the blonde says shocked.

"Yes, I did. What do you smell?"

"I smell honeysuckles, lavender, and…"

"What?" Adalyn asks curiously.

"Don't laugh, but I smell sunscreen," Isabelle says blushing.

"Times up!" Slughorn calls out interrupting the girl's conversation. "I will be making my away around the class. You will stand up and announce which potion you have made. If it looks correctly brewed, I will test it."

He begins to make his way around the class with a vial of antidote clutched in his hands. Many students have brewed the Draught of Living Death, while others go for slightly more complicated potions like a Sleeping Draught. At last, Slughorn makes his way to Hermione. The class listens anxiously to hear what the Gryffindor Princess has brewed. Slughorn pears into her cauldron and says, "Vertiserum! What an advanced potion, Miss Granger!"

"Thank you, sir," she says politely. Slughorn takes a small sip of her potion and says, "Now ask me a question."

"Is it true that you told Tom Riddle about Horcruxes?"

Adalyn watches as her professor's face pales. He tries to resist the effects of the potion before blurting out, "Yes, it is true. But I did not know he would ever think of making one."

The old man takes a quick swig of his antidote, which can be used on all known potions, and makes his way to the next student. He appears next to Adalyn's and Isabelle's table and takes a look. "An Aging Potion. That is very good Miss Gaunt, but not good enough for you to pass Miss Granger. I'm sorry. Miss Vengradis what have you- oh my!"

The man studies the sparkling pink potion in utter shock. "This can't be…it is impossible for someone so young…"

"If you don't mind my asking, sir, what has Vengradis made?" Riddle asks, trying to get a glimpse of the inside of her cauldron. Adalyn turns around and says, "Amortenia. The most powerful love potion in the world. It causes the drinker to have an obsession with the brewer."

"I know the effects of the potion," Riddle snaps. Adalyn smirks and turns her attention back to Slughorn. The class had gasped at the announcement of her complex potion. Slughorn studies the potion for a few seconds longer before he says, "It looks perfect! I would test it myself, but it would be most inappropriate to think of a student in such ways."

"That is unfair!" Hermione calls out. "She should have her potion tested just like everyone else!"

"Miss Granger, please call me down," the professor says. "I was going to have another student test it for me. Mr. Riddle would you do the honors?"

* * *

Riddle pales visibly, but gives a curt nod. He did not want to look like a coward in front of the class. He breaths in the aroma of the potion. To him, it smells like the forest. The fresh pines and the rough woods let off a rustic smell. But a new smell fills his nostrils. It smells sweet and fresh. The smell of white roses. He is slightly startled by this new smell, since he has never smelled a white rose. Riddle shrugs it off and takes a small sip of the potion. Suddenly, he realizes how beautiful Vengradis is. Straight, black hair frames her face perfectly. Her emerald green eyes sparkle with amusement as he asks, "Have I ever told you how beautiful you are?"

"I do not believe you have," she smirks. A small voice in the back of his mind is screaming '_What are you doing?'_, but he ignores it and continues. "And your hair, is so, black."

The class giggles. _What is so funny? _He grins down at the witch. She gives Riddle a sweet smile that makes his heart flutters and says, "Thank you."

"Will you marry me?" the tall wizard blurts out. The entire class grows silent as they wait for Vengradis's answer. She glances back at Slughorn before agreeing. "Of course I will, but first we need to drink the special love potion."

"But I already love you."

"It is standard customs in today's world," Vengradis explains handing him the small vial that was in Slughorn's hand. Riddle grins and takes a large swig of the potion. His face pales as he realizes what has happened in the past few minutes. Vengradis looks up and asks, "So are we still getting married?'

"I will never marry you," Riddle growls. The class sighs. It was odd seeing the ex-Dark Lord show so much emotion. They prefer the cold demeanor he usually puts up. Riddle glares at Vengradis as she gives him an innocent smile. Slughorn looks shocked at the young witch. "Marvelous job, Miss Vengradis! I have never seen such skill!"

"Thank you, sir."

"I believe you have passed Miss Granger," Slughorn says approvingly. It is obvious that he is pleased that a student from his own house has passed the Gryffindor. Out of the corner of his eye, Riddle sees Granger frown. The girl is obviously not used to being not top of the class. Vengradis smiles proudly at the Gryffindor before turning to Gaunt to relish about her victory. He glances down at his potion and smirks. _I believe that your victory will be cut short, Vengradis. _The old professor makes his way back to Riddle. He takes one look at the cauldron and nearly faints. "My boy, is that the Essence of Insanity?"

"It can't be! That potion is only a rumor. It does not exist," Vengradis calls out.

"It is, sir," Riddle says ignoring Vengradis's comment.

"I'm afraid that I cannot accept this," Slughorn says.

"Why not?" Riddle growls.

"There is not antidote to the Essence of Insanity since it has never been made successfully. Because of this, I cannot test it. I'm sorry, my boy."

Riddle glares at Slughorn's back as he goes around checking the other potions. To no one's surprise, Vengradis wins the contest. At the end of the period, he hands her the slip, excusing her from homework for the rest of the semester. Slughorn dismisses the class and Riddle snatches his books and storms out of the classroom furious.

* * *

Adalyn exits the potions classroom just in time to see Riddle's billowing robes turn the corner. She sighs and pushes through the crowd of Gryffindors and Slytherins, trying to catch up with her fellow House Head. During Charms, Draco slipped her a note. It read that the first HH meeting is going to be held today right after dinner. He told her to pass the word on to Riddle, who is the only one who is still unaware of the meeting. She eventually catches up with him. Riddle keeps his gaze off of her as he asks, "What do you want, Vengradis? Come to gloat about your victory?"

Adalyn looks down at the homework pass in her hand. It does not feel right. She knows that Riddle is the true winner of the contest. She sighs, unable to believe what she is about to do. She pulls Riddle into a quieter and emptier corridor and hands him the pass. "Here take it."

"What?" Riddle asks. It is written all over his face that he did not expect this.

"I am giving you my homework pass. It should have been yours to win," she explains placing the green slip into his hand.

"Thank you," Riddle says coldly. Now it is Adalyn's turn to be shocked. She was not expecting any sort of thanks from Riddle. Though it had been a cold, it was still a thanks. The shock must be apparent on her face because Riddle says, "I do know manners. I was rather polite before I became Lord Voldemort."

"Yes, you did seem to lose most of your manners then," Adalyn jokes. _Am I joking with Riddle? Holy crap. What happened to hating him? _Riddle interrupts her thoughts. "Is that all?"

"No, actually I wasn't even planning on doing that. It was more of an 'in the moment' kind of deal. What I meant to tell you is that there is a House Head meeting after dinner."

"I will be there."

"Great."

The silence fills the corridor; Adalyn does not know what to say next. She just stares into Riddle's eyes, trying to get a glimpse of any emotion. As usual, his eyes are a guarded pool of grey. She gives him a small smile before rushing back into the busy hallways. She rushes into the Charms classroom and takes a seat in the back. It is a class of Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors, so no one bothers the Slytherin witch. Today, they are going over how to turn water into wine, a simple sixth year spell that Adalyn has already mastered. With a simple flick of her hand, the clear liquid turns a dark burgundy red. She slouches back in her chair to ponder about a certain Slytherin boy.

_I should hate him. He ruined my life. He killed countless amounts of people._

_But he doesn't remember any of it._

_That does not mean he is not responsible. He is still the only Heir of Slytherin, with the exception of Isabelle but she either doesn't know or care._

_Maybe you should take Dumbledore's suggestion. Give him a chance. After all, you still are supposed to find out what happened to the old Head Boy._

_I suppose your right._

Flitwick dismisses the Charms class and Adalyn makes her way to the library. She has an hour of free period before it is time for dinner. She grabs a few books and sits down at a table in the back corner. She is completely immersed in the book "Common Possessions and Their Cures" when a shadow descends over the page. Adalyn looks up to see Riddle's tall body leaning down, reading over her shoulder. He raises an eyebrow and asks suspiciously, "Any special reason why you have so many books about possessions on the table?"

_Crap. He knows. Well, he was going to find out sooner or later. _She sighs and admits, "I am trying to figure out what happened to you. Why you became all noseless and stuff."

Riddle's eyes narrow. "Why would you ever do that? I thought you hate me."

"The same reasons you would do it if our places were switched. Money. Fame."

"Really? You never stroke me as that type, Vengradis."

"I was put in Slytherin for a reason, Riddle," Adalyn snaps.

It is only then that she realizes how close her and Riddle are. She has stood up from her chair and is now facing him. Both are almost the same height, Riddle being the taller one, so she doesn't have to look up to stare into his eyes. Riddle whispers into her ear, "I think there is another reason. One you aren't telling me."

"Oh, really?" Adalyn questions back. "Please tell me all about this ulterior motive of mine."

"I am a mystery. You want to unravel what happened to me. You want to know about my secrets," he hisses. "But I will not share anything. All your attempts to befriend me will fail. All you do is constantly aggravate me.

"This is quite a case of the pot calling the kettle black," Adalyn smirks.

"What do you mean?"

"You constantly talk about how you find me aggravating, yet you always seem to find yourself in my presence. Why is that?" Adalyn hisses in the same voice Riddle is using. When he doesn't answer she says, "I am a mystery. You can see the secrets hidden in my eyes. It kills you to know that I know something that you don't. You wish to know my blood status, the true reason why I ended up at the orphanage; not the bogus one I told you on the train. Those are things that only two people know. And I consider those to people my friend. So you may want to rethink your strategy a bit. I will only tell you those things if I deem you a close friend."

Adalyn snatches up her books and makes her way to the front of the library, leaving Riddle behind. While passing the Restricted Section, a certain book catches her eye. The thin spin reads "The Darkest Possessions and Curses". She needs that book. Somehow, she will get that book. Adalyn innocently hands the librarian her books before heading to dinner. She sits down at the seventh year table next to Isabelle and a Gryffindor boy named Seamus. Across from her sits Draco and one of Seamus's friends Dean. Riddle arrives moments later. He sits down at the end of the table, away from everyone else. He sends daggers towards his plate of food before deciding he doesn't want it. After spending only a few short minutes in the hall, he gets up and leaves.

Draco leans across the table and asks Adalyn, "What has got Riddle's knickers in a twist?"

"How would I know?" Adalyn exclaims a little too quickly.

"You are the only person in the school who could get Riddle so riled up," Isabelle points out. Adalyn sighs defeated and admits, "Riddle and I got in a row in the library. That is all."

"Oh," Draco sighs returning to his food. "Excuse me ladies, but I must use the loo."

"Have fun," Isabelle calls. Once the blonde boy is out of sight, Adalyn whispers, "He knows."

"Who knows what?" the blonde asks.

"Riddle knows about the plan. He knows the only reason we continue to talk to him is to figure out what turned him into Lord Voldemort."

"Oh, and that is not good?"

"No. Now he will do everything in his power to keep us from figuring it out."

"But what if he doesn't know?"

"What?" Adalyn asks. This catches her off guard. Of course Riddle knows what turned him into Lord Voldemort. He just pretends that he doesn't, right?

"I think he truly does not know, but he is still Tom Riddle. I did some research and when he was in school he was the brooding mysterious type that always knew everything about everyone," Isabelle whispers.

"That is why his chamber is so big. It's full of secrets," Adalyn jokes. At a normal time, Isabelle would have laughed at her friend's joke, but this wasn't a normal time. "Why didn't you laugh at my joke? It was rather clever."

"It is not a time for cracking jokes. I have a theory about Riddle. I think he does not know what happened to him. This is driving him crazy. He can always read everyone, but he can't read himself. He wants to know what happened, but he doesn't. So is pretending that he knows something so that you keep pestering him."

"Why would he want me pestering him?" Adalyn asks. "If he wasn't clear about it before, he hates me."

"Well, I have a few theories. One, he fancies you like every sane wizard in the school. He wants to be around you, no matter what you are doing to him. Two, he makes him feel important. He is the Heir of Slytherin. He craves power just like everyone else in our house. Pretending like he knows something that you don't makes him feel like he holds power over you. And the final theory, he wants to figure out your secrets. He knows you have them and it kills him to know that you know something he doesn't," Isabelle explains. Adalyn is shocked. That is almost the exact same conversation she just had with Riddle. She shakes it off as she sees Draco returning to the table.

He puts on his trademark Malfoy smirk and asks, "What did I miss?"

"I just made a joke about Riddle that you wouldn't get. I was quoting a Muggle movie," Adalyn quickly lies. Though Isabelle is amazing at many things, lying is not one of her strong suits. That is one of the reasons why Adalyn was chosen to be the secret Death Eater instead of Isabelle.

"Oh," Draco says. "Hey, Addie it's time for the House Head meeting. See you, Tinkerbell!"

"I'll talk to you later!" Isabelle calls out as Adalyn and Draco leave the Great Hall. The witch quirks an eyebrow and asks, "Addie?"

"I thought it was a good nickname," Draco says sheepishly.

"That is what my younger sister calls me," Adalyn laughs.

"You have a younger sister?"

"Yes. Her name is Emmaline. She will be attending Hogwarts next year."

"Oh."

They approach the portrait of Edgar Stroulger. Adalyn quickly mutters the password as they rush into the common room, ten minutes late. Everyone else has already arrived and is seated on the room's couches and chairs. The only space left is on the couch next to Riddle. Both the witch and wizard sit down, Draco in the middle and Adalyn on the end.

"Sorry we are late. I had to use the loo while on the way here," Adalyn admits.

"Since we are all here, let us call this meeting to order. Dumbledore has requested us to have a Halloween celebration. Does anyone have any suggestions?" Hermione asks. On a normal day, Adalyn would have asked the Gryffindor who put her in charge, but today is not a normal day. She is wiped out after the fight with Riddle in the library and is in no mood to get into another one. Instead, she remains silent as she listens to the other suggestions made by other Heads. _This is too chaotic. We will never get anything done. _Apparently Draco is thinking the same thing.

"I have an idea. How about we split into groups, by House of course. Each House can think of one idea then we can all discuss it together," the blonde boy suggests.

"Excellent idea, Malfoy. That way everyone can have a chance to participate," Hermione says, giving a look towards Adalyn and Riddle who have not said a word for this entire meeting. Everyone splits into their house groups and Adalyn moves closer to Riddle. She is not going to let Riddle intimidate her.

"Do you have any ideas?" she asks him. "Because I have a rather good one."

"Then by all means, please share it," Riddle says giving Adalyn an exasperated look.

"We can turn Hogwarts into a haunted house."

"That is a much better idea than I thought it would be," Riddle admits. "Elaborate on it."

"We can get the help of teachers, but I was thinking after the feast all the House Heads and seventh year volunteers can set up the dungeons to be like a haunted house. The students can walk through and we can pretend like we are trying to kill them and stuff."

Riddle doesn't say anything, but he looks mildly impressed. Hermione calls everyone back to their seats and Draco sits down on the end of the couch this time since Adalyn didn't feel like moving out of the middle.

"Now that everybody is settled let us start with the ideas. We will go around by house; in the order Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw, Gryffindor, and then Slytherin. Just state your idea then we can discuss it later after everyone has shared. Hannah, you can start us off," Hermione dictates.

"We thought of a ball," the shy Hufflepuff girl says.

"A ball was our idea too," Luna says speaking on behalf of Ravenclaw.

"That is bloody weird. Hermione and I thought about having a ball too," Ron laughs. The Weasley turns to Riddle and Adalyn and asks, "We about you?"

"We thought about turning the dungeons into a haunted house," Adalyn says. Everyone looks at them with 'no' plainly splattered on their face. The only one who looked interested is Draco.

"So a ball it is!" Hermione calls out. Adalyn groans as they start planning the event. Riddle quirks an eyebrow at Adalyn and asks, "Why are you not thrilled about the idea? I thought all girls loved balls."

"I hate balls. They are just an excuse for girls to doll themselves up and wear dresses, neither of which I enjoy," Adalyn says. "Besides, the last ball Hogwarts threw went terribly. It was a Yule Ball during my actual seventh year. The lead singer of the band turned out to be a Death Eater spy."

"I suggest you pay attention, Vengradis. Right now the girls are thinking about adding 'cute floating pumpkins'," Riddle smirks. Adalyn listens in to find out that Riddle is correct.

"I'm going to interrupt this conversation for a minute," Adalyn interrupts. "Halloween is supposed to be the scariest night of the year. I remember in my first year the upperclassmen would play tricks on the younger students. If we are going to have a ball, at lease make it remotely spooky. Have all the decorations be dark and have everyone dress up in costumes."

"I never thought I would say this, but I agree with Adalyn," Ron says. "We need it to still seem like Halloween and not some fall-themed ball."

"Thank you," Adalyn says.

"How about a masquerade costume ball?" Draco suggests. "With everybody in costumes and masks, it will be hard to tell people apart. It could prove to be very interesting."

"Fine, we will go with Adalyn's idea for the ball," Hermione agrees. "Who wants to talk to Dumbledore about it? If he approves, we can go ahead and plan out the details."

"I will," Justin volunteers.

"Great. This meeting is adjourned. You can all go to your dormitories now," Hermione says walking up the stairs. Adalyn begins her way up the green spiral stairs. She hears Riddle come up behind her. "Who died and made her in charge?" he asks.

"That is just the way Hermione is," Adalyn says. "Goodnight, Riddle."

"Goodnight, Vengradis," he says closing his wooden door. Adalyn sighs and enter her room. As she lies in bed, one question keeps her wide awake.

_What I am going to do about Riddle?_

* * *

**Just to clarify something, when I put page breaks, that usually means I'm switching PoVs. In the beginning-ish when Riddle drinks the love potion, that is told through his PoV. An easy way to tell the difference is Riddle refers to everybody by their last names. **

**I really hope you like this chapter. It would be so amazing for you to review or follow or favorite. It really does feel good when someone compliments your work. Going to go see Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters later today! I will tell you my opinion on the movie in the next chapter.**


	11. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I am not rich. I did not create the best franchise ever.**

* * *

**Chapter 10**

* * *

Adalyn absentmindedly doodles on her History of Magic notes paper. Today, they are discussing, in gruesome detail, different types of Wizarding illnesses. As Binns drones on about the side effects of Spattergroit, Isabelle passes her a note. Adalyn glances down and reads her friend's girly script.

_The first Slytherin party is going on Friday. Want to come?_

Adalyn sighs and scribbles her message back.

**I'm a House Head. It would be improper to attend the parties.**

The Slytherin's are known to throw the best parties out of all of the Houses. Somehow they manage to sneak a band and the entire House into the Room of Requirement. For most houses, anyone is allowed to join the party, as long as they know the password; but Slytherin is different. Only people of the Slytherin house may enter, making their parties the most desirable. Nobody knows what happens at the parties so wild rumors have been made up. One of the more interesting theories is everybody sits in a large circle and mutters Dark Magic trying to raise the dead. Of course, that is not what happens at all. All years are invited to the party. The atmosphere of the party varies. Sometimes it is sophisticated, other times it looks like you walked into a strip club. All House parties are kept a secret from the professors, though Adalyn is fairly certain that they know these parties exist.

Isabelle sighs and whispers, "Listen, it is the first party of our seventh year. It is sure to be amazing."

"Fine, I'll come," Adalyn whispers giving in. "What is the password?"

"There isn't one. Tell that to the scrawny third year at the door and he'll let us in," the blonde says, returning to her doodles. Without looking up, she adds, "Maybe you should invite Riddle."

"What?" Adalyn asks, caught totally off guard. "Why on Earth should I do that?"

"Many reasons. One, it would get him out of his unsocial bubble. Two, it would teach him about the modern world. And three, you two would get closer."

"Why would I want to be closer with him? This is Riddle we are talking about. The creepy jerk who ruined everyone's lives."

"That was Lord Voldemort," Isabelle points out.

"They are the same person!" Adalyn argues. Isabelle looks over at her best friend. The blonde internally sighs. She knows that Adalyn can hold a grudge until the day she dies. She is stubborn and doesn't accept change easily. Isabelle knows that when Riddle woke up without a single memory, it was hard for Adalyn. Her friend had wanted him to remember everything. Not so that he could be framed as guilty, but to give Adalyn a reason to hate him. But since Riddle did not regain any of his memories, the green-eyed girl does not feel that she can hold a grudge against him; and that is what bothers her most. Though she will never say it out loud, Isabelle pities Adalyn. She had to go through more than most people during the war. She had risked her safety every day to bring useful information to the Light Side. In truth, Adalyn could be claimed a hero. But Isabelle knows why she wouldn't do that. That would mean causing attention to herself and only Isabelle knows the deep dark secret that keeps Adalyn Vengradis from doing that.

Isabelle sighs and says, "Something happened to Tom Riddle. You heard what he said. Any memory he has of the past 70 years is odd. Like he is an outsider watching everything happen."

"He could have fought back," Adalyn mutters.

"I think Riddle isn't as powerful as he seems."

Professor Binns dismisses the class and the students leak into the crowded hallways. Before they make their separate ways down the hall, Isabelle whispers, "Invite Riddle to the party."

Adalyn groans. No matter what she does, it will turn out badly for her. If she decides to invite Riddle, everyone will assume there is something going on between them. Adalyn will be thrown into the spotlight, something she has tried to avoid for her entire life. But if she doesn't invite Riddle, she will have to face Isabelle's wrath. The witch sighs and prepares to ask Riddle to the stupid party.

* * *

Adalyn sends daggers into the back of Riddle's head. She sits behind him in Ancient Runes and since he is abnormally tall, she is one of the tallest girls at Hogwarts yet he is still a good five inches taller, it blocks her view of the front of the classroom. She leans forward and whispers, "Hey, Riddle."

"Yes, Vengradis? Make it quick because some people are trying to pay attention."

"Could you move your head down? I can't see."

"That is truly unfortunate for you, isn't it?" Riddle says turning back to the front. The Ravenclaw that sits next to her, Timothy, passes her his notes. "Thank you," she mutters and begins to copy down the boy's work.

"It's fine. Some Slytherins can be cold," he smiles flirtatiously. Adalyn sees Riddle's shoulders tense slightly at Timothy's comment. The action confuses the witch. Shouldn't Riddle be used to comments like that? From what she has gathered, he wasn't exactly "well-liked" back in the 40s either. She hands the Ravenclaw back his notes and says, "Yes, us Slytherins can be very cruel, but at least the boys don't try and flirt by insulting members of the girl's house."

Timothy looks at her startled. Professor Babbling dismisses the class, but not before assigning them a parchment on their favorite rune. Adalyn gives him a trademark Slytherin smirk and says, "Thank you for the notes they were very helpful, but the flirting could use a bit of work."

She turns on her heel and walks out of the classroom. She is surprised at her actions. Not many people know this, but all Slytherins look out for one another. If any upperclassmen see a younger student being bullied, they step in immediately. This is why Slytherin House has a bad reputation. Though they are extremely protective and will intervene when they deem necessary, they usually don't handle the situations in the correct way. But there are still the cruel jerks, like the pre-war Draco Malfoy, who like to pick fights just for fun. Adalyn has always been one of the ones to save the terrified first years from the bullying fifth year Gryffindors, but never would she think to stand up for Riddle.

Lost in thought, she does not notice the tall figure come up behind her. He pushes her into an empty corridor and asks, "Why did you do that?"

"Do what? You have be more specific, Riddle," Adalyn states though she knows exactly what he means.

"Why did you stand up for me? You hate me," he hisses.

"I do hate you. I'm glad that got across."

"Stop avoiding the question."

"I don't know why!" Adalyn admits. "It just sort of slipped out!"

Riddle eyes her warily. She stares defiantly into his eyes. Emerald green meets dark grey. His eyes penetrate her soul, looking for any form of lies. Adalyn's cheeks flush slightly, not enough for anyone to notice, under his steady gaze. She holds his stare for a few seconds longer before she drops her eyes to the ground. Riddle, seeming to detect the truth in her statement, asks, "What do you want?"

"What do you mean?"

"Whenever someone does something for another, they usually want something in return."

"I don't want anything," Adalyn says. Riddle raises an eyebrow and turns back into the busier hallway. Isabelle's demand bubbles into the witch's mind. She sighs, unable to believe she is about to do this, and calls out, "Wait!"

Riddle turns his head back. He has an expectant look on his face, as if he was expecting that she would call out to him. His eyes pan down to her left sleeve. The tip of a black tattoo is beginning to show. Adalyn follows his gaze and quickly pulls the crisp white sleeve of her shirt back down. He looks back up at her face and smirks, "I told you. They always want something."

"Very funny, but this is more of a request," Adalyn laughs coldly. "Isabelle has informed me that there is a Slytherin party on Friday. It would be a great way for you to experience modern day parties. So, I was wondering if you would like to accompany me."

Her pale face flushes slightly at the last part. Riddle's forehead crease together in confusion and asks, "Are you asking to court me?"

"I have no idea what 'court' means, but it wouldn't be a date. More like the two House Heads accompanying each other to a house party."

Riddle studies her for a moment. He notices how the girl's cheeks are slightly flushed, adding color to her normally pale face. Her eyes shine with annoyance, but with a hint of shyness buried deep in the swirling green irises. If he isn't careful, he could get lost in a sea of emerald green. But the fact is he is careful. Some may say he is too careful. During the time when he was still in control of his body, Riddle had put up a cold mask. Nobody would ever try to befriend, or even talk to, the Slytherin boy. He focused on his studies and became one of the brightest wizards to ever step foot in Hogwarts.

That was until "Lord Voldemort" started to take over. It started slowly. At first, he would black out and wake up in different areas, usually accompanied by a hurt student. Then it changed. It became like he was watching a dream of himself, but he couldn't control his actions. Riddle would watch as he hurt, and even killed, many Muggleborn students. He always had hatred for Muggles, but would never think to take it that far. This all happened during his fifth year.

During the rest of his time at school, Riddle focused on becoming something great. He wanted to have people remember his name forever. But "Lord Voldemort" kept coming back. He was the one who asked Slughorn about Horcruxes. He was the one who told Riddle about his bloodlines that are connected to Salazar Slytherin. Then during one patrol day, everything went black. Riddle woke up in destroyed Hogwarts, with no memory of what had happened. After Dumbledore, who had become rather old, filled him in, everything came flooding back. It was the same as before; like watching yourself in a dream but having no control over your actions.

Riddle feigned that he still has no memory of the past. He drives him crazy every day that he cannot figure out who or what possessed him. He decided to keep his cold exterior and begin to revive his name. That is when two roadblocks come into the story. These two roadblocks come in the form of Isabelle Gaunt and Adalyn Vengradis. Gaunt came as a surprise. Riddle had no knowledge of any relatives. She annoyed him. She had no idea about the kind of power she possesses by being the Heir of Slytherin. She is too perky and goes horribly with his cold behavior.

Vengradis is a different story. She isn't afraid of him like many of the other students. She meets his harsh wall with one of her own. Vengradis is a complete enigma. She hides her blood status, yet it is common knowledge that the witch is an orphan. Her past is blurred with lies that Riddle can see right through. She is also beautiful. It pains Riddle to admit it, but it is true. She isn't the perfect model kind of beautiful, she is unnaturally pretty. But she plays it down; as if she does not see it.

Riddle snaps out of his daze and curses himself for allowing him to get caught up in his thoughts; though is reality it has only been a second. Adalyn waits for his answer. He glances down at her and asks, "What time do you wish to be picked up?"

"Just knock on my door whenever you are ready," Adalyn answers. Riddle turns to leave. Before he can, she calls out, "We really should stop meeting in empty corridors. People may start rumors."

A ghost of a smile appears on Riddle's face before he leaves the hallway to make his way to his next class, which he will be late for. Adalyn leaves to go to the library since she has a free period. She enters the library and heads to the familiar section on books about possession. That is when she remembers the books she wishes to get from the Restricted Section. She looks around the empty room and silently slips into the dark room. Adalyn sees the gray spine of "Darkest Possessions and Their Curses". She snatches the book up and hides it in her satchel. She exits the Restricted Section quickly, but not quick enough. Madame Pince sees her walking out and shouts, "Miss Vengradis! What were you doing in the Restricted Section?"

"I'm sorry, miss. I thought I saw a student and I went to investigate but there was no one there," Adalyn lies. "I shall go find a table. I have a lot of homework to do."

"Very well," the librarian says shaking her head. Adalyn smiles sweetly before heading past the numerous rows of books to find a table. She sits down at a table in the far back corner, far away from the fifth year boys who are eyeballing her. Adalyn knows that she is what boys consider "hot", but she does not see it. Her breasts are not large, though they are not small either, and she does not have the perfect "hourglass figure". In truth, her body is tall and muscular giving her a very boyish frame. Her thick hair is always tangled so she wears it in a bun. Unlike most girls in her grade, she wears very minimal makeup; though does use basic face makeup and mascara. Her eyes are the only feature she truly likes about herself. People say that the eyes are the window to the soul, but her eyes are sharp and hidden behind layers of green; just the way Adalyn likes it.

Adalyn curses herself for getting distracted and focus on the Ancient Runes essay she is assigned. Unlike most students, she prefers to get her homework done right away instead of waiting until the last minute. She selects a random rune and begins to write the essay. After a while, she becomes bored and doodles a small sketch of the rune on the corner of the paper. Maybe she will get extra credit for drawing the rune. Adalyn's stomach begins to growl so she quickly finishes the essay and makes her way to the Great Hall for some dinner. When she passes by the table of boys, one of them does a loud wolf whistle. Adalyn snaps her head around to glare at the table. They shrink away under her cold glare and bury their heads in their books. She smirks to herself as she walks out of the library, the weight of the book feeling heavy in her book bag, but not as heavy as the guilt she feels. The witch squashes the guilt and sits down in her usual seat at the seventh year table.

"The whole idea that the teachers have about reuniting the houses is completely ridiculous. We are separated for a reason," Isabelle argues. "Adalyn! What are your thoughts of reuniting the houses?"

"Just a silly dream the professors have," Adalyn answers loading her plate up with food. She digs in, shoving her mouth with food.

"Slow down, the food isn't going anywhere," Draco laughs.

"Haha," Adalyn laughs sarcastically with a mouth full of turkey. She did not realize how hungry she actually was before she started eating. "And Tinkerbell, Riddle is coming."

Isabelle squeals with excitement while Draco just looks confused. "What is Adalyn talking about?"

"Isabelle told me to invite Riddle to the Slytherin party on Friday so I did," the witch with black hair says nonchalantly. "No big deal."

"No big deal? Are you out of your mind?" Draco asks astonished. "You just asked Lord Voldemort on a date!"

"One, it is not a date. We both made that very clear. Two, Dumbledore told Isabelle and I to help him fit in with the modern world so I will."

"You are insane," Draco mutters while shaking his head. He passes Adalyn the roll she is reaching for and admits, "That is one of the things I'm going to miss about being in Slytherin. Those parties were great."

"That really sucks for you," Adalyn says buttering the roll. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Riddle entering the Great Hall. He begins to make his way to his usual seat at the end of the table away from everyone else, but Isabelle calls him over. He warily makes his way over to our section of the table and sits down in the empty seat next to Draco, which happens to be directly across from me. We lock eyes for a moment before he turns to Isabelle and asks, "Is there something you wanted?"

"Is there anything wrong with wanting your 'cousin' to sit with you?" Isabelle asks innocently.

"I suppose not," Riddle says hesitantly. Before anyone can say anything else, Hermione comes up behind Adalyn and exclaims, "I found you three! Excellent! There will be a House Head meeting after dinner."

"We will be there," Draco answers since neither Riddle nor Adalyn looked like they wanted to speak to the Gryffindor. After she has left, Adalyn groans. "Why is she always in charge of everything?"

"Because she is the only one willing to take charge," Draco points out. Adalyn inclines her head slightly, agreeing with the statement. She looks across the table and asks, "So boys, do you know who you are asking to the ball yet? If there is a ball, Dumbledore still hasn't approved it."

Draco looks down at his food and mutters something inaudible. "Speak up a bit. I couldn't hear your answer," Adalyn says.

"I don't know who I'm going to ask yet," he says slightly less mumbled and quiet. Adalyn turns to Riddle and raises an eyebrow, inviting him to answer the question.

"None of the witches here are worthy," Riddle says proudly.

"I see. Maybe you shouldn't go for the witches then," Adalyn advices.

"What do you mean?" Riddle asks his gray eyes narrowing.

"You should start looking at wizards. Maybe you are gay but you just haven't realized it yet," she explains taking a calm sip of her pumpkin juice. After the last sentence left her mouth, their little group lost it. Riddle hisses something at her in what she recognizes as Parseltonue; Isabelle begins to laugh so hard that her drink flies out of her nose; and Draco spits his chewed up food onto a nearby napkin to prevent himself from choking. To some, their reactions may have seemed a bit extreme. But Adalyn just called Tom Riddle, the boy who was Lord Voldemort (well, possibly was Lord Voldemort), gay.

Riddle glares at the group and says, "I can assure you, I'm not queer."

"Whatever you say," Adalyn sings. "We should head up to the common room. I'll see you later, Tink!"

The trio gets up and makes their way up to the House Head common room. The tension between the three of them can be cut with a knife. Riddle is still shooting Adalyn angry glares for calling gay; Adalyn is pretending like she does not notice; and Draco has suddenly become very interested in his shoes. The witch mutters the password under her breath and they make their way into the common room. They take the only empty seats in the room, since they are the last to arrive, and Hermione begins the meeting.

"I have great news! Dumbledore has agreed to let us have the Halloween Ball! All we need to do is assign jobs."

"Adalyn can get the word out. I heard she is very good at telling people information," Ron says coldly.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Adalyn snaps.

"It means that you were a Death Eater spy!" he yells. Before anyone can react, Ron jumps up out of his seat and pulls up the left sleeve of Adalyn's shirt revealing the horrific Dark Mark permanently tattooed into her skin. "I knew it!" he exclaimed proudly. "No wonder she talks to Riddle so much! She was his old spy!"

Everyone in the room turns to stare at Adalyn. She is frozen in shock. Everything she has tried so hard to hide from the world, gone with a single move from a boy. Something snaps inside of her. Careful not to look at the Dark Mark, she stands up and yells, "Do you want to know what I did during the war, Ronald Weasley? Do you want to know what I did? I became a double agent for the Order of the Phoenix. Yes, I did just say the Order. I would sit through Death Eater meetings and then tell Isabelle, yes Isabelle Gaunt, everything that happened. She would tell me some small detail that the Order told her to share so that Voldemort wouldn't become suspicious. While you, Harry and Hermione went MIA, I was tortured. Tortured! Have you ever been tortured for six hours straight and still held your ground and pretended like you knew nothing? Do you want to know the real reason why I cover up my Mark? It is because when I look at it, I see the memories. The memories of being tortured. The memories of fellow spies dying. The memories of everyday living my life in fear because I could be discovered and killed just like the ones before me!"

Adalyn stops abruptly. She realizes how much she just revealed. Her eyes widen and she quickly runs up the stairwell and into her bedroom. She puts numerous enchantments on the door, blocking anyone from entering or hearing her sobs as the tears flow from her eyes. She can hear people yelling at Ron for being so inconsiderate, but she doesn't care. A few minutes later, a soft knock is heard on her door. Her eyes still puffy and red from crying, Adalyn calls out, "Go away! I don't want your sympathy!"

"Then I assure you, you will get none," Riddle voice calls back through the door. "Can I come in?"

Riddle. That is the last person Adalyn expected to come. But maybe he is the best person for her right now. He won't try to feel bad for her or tell her he is sorry for what happened. She waves her wand and lets down the enchantments. "Come on in."

Riddle opens the door and looks around the room. Clothing and books are scattered around the room. The door to the bathroom is open wide leaving a clear view of the messy sink. Adalyn sits on her messed up bed, her hair disheveled from the sobbing. Riddle closes the door, but remains at the doorway.

"I'm sorry for what happened. If there was only something I could have done," he says in a sarcastic voice. Adalyn gives a tired smirk. The wizards face then becomes very serious. "Tell me what he did."

Adalyn looks at him startled. He spoke about Voldemort as if he is a different person. Then again, maybe he is. She studies Riddle from head to toe. He looks very serious about the manner. That is when something clicks in her mind. Maybe he really doesn't remember anything. Maybe he isn't lying. Maybe, just maybe, she should give him a chance. Adalyn sighs, unable to believe that she is about to do this, and grabs Riddle's hand. "What are you doing?" he snaps trying to release her tight grip.

"Keep hold of my hand or you will be lost forever," Adalyn says calmly. "I'm going to show you what you did."

She looks down at her left arm and the Dark Mark that lies there. Her eyes roll into the back of her head and she becomes absorbed in horrid nightmares, taking Riddle with her.

_Voldemort leaned over Adalyn as he studied the girl. She had already proven to be skilled in Occlumency since he was unable to enter her mind. He stared down at the witch with red snake eyes and asked, "Why are you here?"_

"_I already told you, my Lord. I wish to become a Death Eater. Dumbledore is stupid and the Light Side is a lost cause," she lied. "I could be a useful spy. I have many connections in Dumbledore's stupid bird group, the Order of the Phoenix. None of them would ever question my loyalty to them."_

_Voldemort was secretly impressed. The girl was obviously much smarter than most of his followers yet she was only seventeen. She had persuaded him to allow her to join his ranks in only a matter of minutes, as opposed to many who had taken days to persuade him. He smiled sadistically down at the girl. "Very well. I will allow you to join my ranks, but only if you can survive the initiation."_

"_Seems logical, my Lord," she smirked. Adalyn knew what to expect. First, the Dark Mark would be branded into her skin. This process was painful. It was like a thousand knives were slashing one spot on your arm over again. Then, you must kill a Muggle; the only part that Adalyn was worried about. Finally, you must break whatever Curse one of the higher ranked members put upon you. Not many survived this process, but the ones who did became some of the best fighters. _

_Voldemort smirked at the girl. "Excellent."_

_It was now the day of Adalyn's initiation. She wore the ceremonial black robes of all Death Eaters. Voldemort approached her and placed his wand on her left forearm. Her skin burned as the Mark began to appear. It was the most pain Adalyn had ever felt up to that point. She saw the Death Eaters watching her, waiting for her to begin screaming. She kept an impassive face as the pain became worse. It felt like a fire was burning right on her arm. Suddenly, the pain stopped. She looked down at her arm and saw the Dark Mark burning black. Many Death Eaters looked impressed at the girl's skill. _

_Before Adalyn could even have time to process what she just went through, a Muggle woman was thrown into the large room. She cowered at Adalyn with sad brown eyes. The witch's heart began to beat faster. Could she really do this? The woman nodded her head slightly. She wanted Adalyn to kill her. She had nothing left to live for. Adalyn caught the woman's message and raised her wand. _

"_Avada Kedavra!" she shouted. The green jet of light streamed from her wand and hit the woman directly in the chest. She fell to the floor with a loud thud. Adalyn wanted to go curl up in a ball and cry, but she couldn't. There was still one more step to initiation. As planned, Snape stepped forward and addressed Voldemort. "My Lord, I would like to volunteer to do the final step of the initiation."_

"_Very well. What curse will you be using?" Voldemort hissed._

"_The Imperius Curse, my Lord."_

_Hushed whispers fill the room. No one had ever attempted to break the Imperius Curse. Most people are petrified and are forced to find a way to wake up. Adalyn nodded and Snape raised his wand._

"_Imperio!" he shouted. Adalyn could feel her mind slowly slipping away as it was put under Snape's control. He made her try to climb the smooth wall. She felt her body begin to make its way over to the slick black walls of Malfoy Manor. _

'_Remember your training,' she thought. 'Break free from Snape's curse. Just like you trained to do.'_

_She felt herself starting to take back over her mind. Her feet stopped moving and she stood still in place. Snape stared at her, increasing the amount of power he had over her mind, but Adalyn refused to move. Her entire body told her to move, it almost hurt to remain standing there. Snape's hold on her was broken and she let out a small breath of relief. She had done it. She had survived initiation. Voldemort walked up to her and hissed, "Welcome to the Death Eaters, Adalyn Vengradis."_

_The scene changes once again. The Death Eaters are gathered in one of their secret spots. Everyone is gathered around a large table, listening to what Bellatrix has to say._

"_My Lord, I found the traitor among us," Bellatrix hissed. "It is the Vengradis girl."_

_Though Bellatrix was correct, she was a spy, her reason for believing Adalyn am a traitor is wrong. "She knows where Dumbledore is hiding," the evil witch whispers._

"_Is that true?" Voldemort asked as he turned to the young girl. She had proven to be a great Death Eater which had earned her a place in his high ranks. Adalyn had provided useful information about the Order by sweet talking her way into Dumbledore's Army. But little did Voldemort know, she was telling the Order much more useful information about Voldemort. Though, she was telling the truth when she said, "No, I have no idea what Bellatrix is talking about."_

"_She lies, my Lord," Bellatrix whispered. "I have seen her sneaking out of headquarters late at night."_

"_And that proves that I am sneaking out to go see Dumbledore?" Adalyn asked defensively while standing up. "In case you haven't noticed, I am sneaking out to go back to Hogwarts, which is not run by Dumbledore, but by Snape, so that people don't notice that I have gone missing that night when I get back to school!" _

_Of course, that wasn't true either. She eventually did go back to Hogwarts, but not before meeting up with her blonde best friend. Adalyn would tell all information she had acquired from the meeting and Isabelle would share a small, but non-important, detail about the Order to Adalyn._

"_You dare speak to me that way? Crucio!" Bellatrix cursed. The familiar pain of a thousand knives cutting her body returned, but Adalyn refused to scream._

"_That is enough, Bellatrix," Voldemort said. "Take her to another room to torture her. If she is truly a spy, her tongue would probably be loosened after a few hours of the Cruciatus Curse, wouldn't you think?"_

"_Yes, right away my Lord." Bellatrix smiled sadistically as she led Adalyn out of the room. Six hours. That was how long Bellatrix tortured her. After Bellatrix realized that Adalyn "knew nothing", when truly Adalyn just lied about being a spy, she left the room leaving a weak Adalyn in a fetal position on the ground. Her partnering spy, Severus Snape came into the room to help heal her, though he couldn't do much help. Whenever he tried to touch Adalyn, she would scream and curl up into a ball. Eventually, she blacked out, which allowed Snape to carry her upstairs into a spare bedroom to rest. _

_It was now the heat of the battle. Everywhere you looked, someone fell down dead. The walls of Hogwarts burned and green jets of light were being thrown from both the Dark and Light side. Adalyn stood with Isabelle and Draco at her sides. She watched from the sidelines as more and more people died. The names that would be forgotten though they died a hero's death. Adalyn looked at her friends and asked, "Ready?"_

"_Never will be," Draco said as they ran out into the battle. They flung curses at any Death Eater that came too close for their liking. A shrill scream was heard and the trio turned to see Bellatrix glaring at them. _

"_You!" she screeched as she pointed at Adalyn. "I knew you couldn't be trusted! But you, Draco. I did not expect this."_

"_I was a rather good spy wasn't I," Adalyn said proudly. Before the crazed witch could answer, Adalyn shot a curse at Bellatrix. The witch flew back and hit a wall. She slumped to the floor and they left her for someone else to deal with. _

_The rest seemed to happen in a blur. All that was seen were shots of colored light and the occasional body falling. The images of all the dead flashed before their eyes. Tonks, Fred Weasley, Cedric Diggory. _

Adalyn and Riddle are released from her memories. The witch looks over at Riddle waiting for his reaction. He is taking deep breaths with a stunned expression on his face. "That was me?" he asks.

"Yes. Puberty doesn't do everyone good," she jokes trying to break the tension.

"Thank you for showing me that," he says before leaving the room. Adalyn is not surprised by this reaction. She did not expect him to break down into tears at what he has done. The past is the past. All we can do is learn from our mistakes and move forward. But are those Riddle's mistakes or Voldemort's? Adalyn slams her head on her pillow in frustration. She hears the door open up and someone step inside.

"That doesn't look very comfortable," the familiar drawl of Draco Malfoy says.

"How do you know? This could be how I sleep every night," Adalyn says, her voice slightly muffled by the pillow. She sits up and says, "I hope you didn't come to apologize for what happened."

"No, I didn't. I came to tell you that after you left, all Hell broke loose. Hermione and numerous others, including myself, started screaming at Ron. He yelled back about 'how was I supposed to know she went through a lot of crap'. The Hufflepuffs tried to calm everyone down and Riddle just left the scene. Just fled up the stairs and probably to his room."

Adalyn considers telling Draco about what happened with Riddle, but it seemed almost…private. Like a special moment meant only for them. Instead she nods and says, "Sounds like Riddle."

Draco takes a deep breath and says, "So this may not be the best time to ask, but would you like to go to the ball with me?"

Adalyn flushes pink. In truth, she did not think anyone good was going to ask her to the dance. She smiles at the slightly nervous Ravenclaw and says, "Sure. I would love to go with you."

"As more than friends?"

"As more than friends," she confirms. Draco smiles and stands up to leave the room. Before he does, he places a light kiss on Adalyn's cheek causing her to blush. He hurries out of the room, leaving Adalyn with a hundred things to think about. She lies in bed and listens to the conversation going on downstairs. She can hear Hermione assigning jobs to everyone expect herself and Riddle. He has apparently stayed in his room since the fight.

Riddle. The boy who echoed through her thoughts. Adalyn knows that she should hate him with passion just like most people at Hogwarts, but something has changed. She can't bring herself to hate him anymore. It used to so easy to hate him, but that was when she still believed that he is Voldemort. But now she can't think that anymore. The way he refers to Voldemort as a different person. The way he reacted to her memories. Yes, it is official. Adalyn Vengradis trusts Tom Riddle.

That can either be one of the best or worst decisions of her life.

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**Sorry it took a little long to update. I'm sorry to say that school will be starting back up on Tuesday and updates will become a little less frequent. Especially if you want long ones like this. When I finished typing this it was eleven pages on Microsoft! That is more than I've ever written. **

**If you like this story, please leave your feedback in the form of a review. I am open to CC (constructive criticism) but don't leave anything TOO nasty in the reviews.**

**Also, I saw City of Bones today! Oh my god. I love Jamie Campbell Bower more than I ever did before (I have basically had a crush on him for the past year). I thought the movie was really good but they changed a few things that I didn't think should have been changed. I won't say anything else, in case you want to go see the movie.**

**Have a nice rest of your day and don't get into too much trouble.**


	12. Chapter 11

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while! School started back up and swimming starts up soon too. Just to give everyone a warning, updates will become less frequent. I don't have all day to type up fanfics. Though I really wish I did...**

**Also, I have made a few changes to the fic. The main one is it now takes place in 1998 like it is supposed to. Second things is Riddle thinks Adalyn ran away from home and went to the orphanage. Other than that, everything is basically the same.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter**

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**Chapter Eleven**

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Today is the first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson with Lupin. Adalyn has been looking forward to this class all day. Now two and half weeks into the school year, she is finally getting her first lesson with the new teacher. During the first week of school, a full moon appeared in the sky. Slughorn was unprepared and did not have the Wolfsbane potion for Lupin to take. The teacher fled the castle and hid in the forest until the transformation was finished. The poor man, still weak from the war, was in a private section of the hospital wing for a week. The substitute for Lupin was Professor Binns, which bored the class to death. No pun intended. Yes, Adalyn is excited to finally be taught by Lupin.

When the professor steps out of his office to greet the class, he is almost unrecognizable. His face is cold and distant. Lupin's bones are easily visible through his sickly yellow skin. The poor man looks sick and depressed. Adalyn feels bad for the professor. She can only imagine how hard his wife's death is on him. She was not at the wedding, but it was obvious how much the two loved each other. She watched them during Order meetings steal small smiles and hold hands under the table. Adalyn secretly wishes that someone would look at her the way Lupin used to look at Tonks. But she knows that thought is irrational. Boys at school look at her like a play toy, though it is partially her fault. All of Adalyn's clothes have been cinched in and tightened, but not to impress members of the opposite sex. Over the years, she had gotten use to tight clothes, while at the orphanage and at…home.

It doesn't feel right calling her childhood house "home". Home is at Hogwarts. Besides, her old house was destroyed right after she left. She could not go back and visit it even if she wants to. Adalyn drags her thoughts out of those memories. She looks around the room for an empty seat. Unfortunately for Adalyn, the only empty seat is next to Harry. She is surprised to see him sitting alone. Usually some Gryffindor is already seated next to the war hero. In front of him are Ron and Hermione, who have been spending a lot of time together since the war ended. The rumors are that Hermione is pregnant with Ron's child, but Adalyn has learned to ignore the gossip at Hogwarts. The two are probably just dating.

She places her book down next to Harry and takes a seat. The tension between the groups can be cut with a knife. Being Gryffindors, Ron and Hermione couldn't help but tell Harry about Adalyn's life as a spy. So basically, the entire school knows. She has been treated differently since word got out about being an Order spy. People acknowledge her, treat Adalyn with respect. She hates it. Adalyn would rather crawl into the shadows and never emerge again. But a small part of her likes the attention she is getting.

Ron clears his throat and says, "Look, I'm really sorry about what happened."

"It was only a matter of time until somebody found out my dirty little secret. We do go to Hogwarts," Adalyn retorts.

"But why keep it a secret?" Harry asks. "You were a spy for the Order! You could have been praised and rewarded."

"Not all people want fame, Harry." Adalyn's eyes narrow and she looks up at the front of the classroom. Lupin coughs quietly and says, "Welcome to your first Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson with me. Today we will be mastering the Patronus Charm." The class begins to whisper furiously. Many students could already produce the charm. "Quiet down students. I know many of you can probably cast this charm but we will be learning a new way to cast it. Some people will master it immediately, others may have some difficulty."

Hermione's hand shoots into the air. "Professor, how can there be another way to cast a Patronus Charm?"

"I believe he is _teaching _us. So I suspect that we will be _learning_ this new technique shortly," Riddle says coolly from the back of the classroom. Adalyn did not even notice him when she came in. he is seated in the back corner of the class, an empty seat next to him. Adalyn feels somewhat guilty about not sitting with him, but it is too late to do anything about it now.

"The new technique," Lupin continues ignoring both comments "is cast by imagining the face of someone who loves you. You tap into their love for you and that is where you access the power to cast the Charm."

"Does it matter if these people are dead or alive?" Harry asks. Adalyn inwardly groans. Harry has plenty of people who love him that are alive. Even in this very room. Does he really need to bring up the "my parents are dead and my life is horrible because of it"? Adalyn's parents didn't give a crap about her. At least James and Lily cared for Harry.

"It does not matter, Harry," Lupin answers his eyes softening. "Watch closely. I am going to demonstrate. _Expecto Diliges!"_

A large wolf springs out of his wand and runs across the classroom. Adalyn watches in awe along with the rest of the seventh years. Unlike the usual misty, glowing Patronus, the wolf seems alive and real. Adalyn resists the urge to reach her hand out and pet the wolf. With a small flick of his wand, the wolf rushes back to Lupin and wraps his body around him. "Not only can your Patronus repel Dementors, but it also guards your back in battle."

Adalyn secretly wonders why nobody used this during The Battle at Hogwarts, but decides it is best to keep the question to herself in fear of bringing up painful memories. Lupin waves his wand again and the wolf disappears. The room is silent. Nobody knows whether to clap or not. When the silence continues, Lupin says, "Oh! I almost forgot. I have already seated you so if everyone could get out of your seats and move to your new locations."

Everybody's names appear above a desk and the class silently moves to their assigned seats. Lucky for Adalyn, she is already seated in her seat. Unluckily, Lupin has seated everyone by House- so when Tom Riddle's name blazes above the seat next to her, she is not surprised. Riddle places his books on the table, but does not say a word to Adalyn. She sighs and says, "Sorry I didn't sit with you at the beginning of class. I didn't see you sitting back there."

Riddle raises an eyebrow. "What are you going on about?"

"I thought you were upset that I didn't sit near you in class," Adalyn clarifies. "I mean, we are in a mutual trust zone right now and I didn't want to make you upset…"

"Why do you care?"

The question catches Adalyn off guard. Why did she care? It is only Riddle. By the look on Riddle's face, it is obvious that he is pleased with her reaction. The ambitious Slytherin inside of her takes over and tries to one up him. "I'm trying this new thing. It's called being nice to people. You should try it sometime."

"I have been nothing but polite to you since we first met."

"Polite, but not nice. There is a difference," she smirks. "If you weren't upset at me, why are you in such a pissy mood?"

"Pissy is not a word. And I do not particular like this lesson." Riddle's face is cold and hard as he glares at the front. Of course he doesn't like this lesson. Nobody loves him. Adalyn feels pitiful for her partner. She couldn't imagine a life without the people who love her. Isabelle and Emmaline are the first two people to come into her mind. After a moment of thought, the faces of Draco, Jesse, and Rosalind appear in her mind as well. Compared to the average person, her list may seem short. But the truth of the matter is - she doesn't care. She would rather have a few people who truly love her than a long list of people who pretend to. Without really comprehending what she is doing, Adalyn picks up her wand and mutters the spell under breath.

"_Expecto Diliges._" A huge eagle flies out of her wand and circles around the classroom. Adalyn watches the magnificent creature as it swoops and soars over her fellow classmates' heads. Adalyn eyes widen with fright when the eagle comes flying down towards her. She almost cringes away, afraid that the eagle would slash her face open- but instead it lands gracefully on her shoulder. She pets its beak fondly. The class stares at her as she sends the Patronus off.

"Excellent job, Adalyn!" Lupin applauds her. "It was very impressive to be able to master it on your first try."

"If I am to be honest, sir, I was not really trying," Adalyn admits. "It just kind of…happened."

"Which makes it even more powerful," the teacher says proudly. "Out of curiosity, who were you thinking of?"

The class turns their attention to Adalyn, awaiting her answer. They are all interested to hear what the Slytherin orphan has to say. Adalyn shifts under the intense gaze and awkwardly clears her throat. "I thought of Isabelle and Draco, my two best friends. I also thought of my younger sister- who will be coming to Hogwarts next year. Finally, two Muggle friends I made at the orphanage."

"Interesting," Lupin says. "Now class, get back to work. Adalyn, if you could help other students out it would be most appreciated."

"Of course, sir."

Adalyn travels around the room, helping out all who would accept her help. It is strange for a Slytherin to be interacting with anyone outside of their own house. Many students are wary as they accept Adalyn's help. But when she shows that she means no harm, they relax and allow her hints. Out of the corner of her eyes, she sees Riddle struggle to cast the spell. Adalyn slowly makes her way over to him and sits down in her seat. "Would you like some help?"

"The problem isn't exactly something you can help with," Riddle snaps.

"I'm sure I can think of one person who loves you," Adalyn says. Riddle whips his head around to look at her. She blushes under his intense gaze. He gives her a cold glare and says, "Try."

"Think about your mother. I'm sure she loved you."

"Don't you think I already tried that!" he retorts, but he still closes his eyes and mutters the spell. Instead of nothing happening- which was the results of his previous attempts- the head of a small snake begins to appear out of his wand. For a moment, Adalyn believes that he has done it, but the head disappears quickly when Riddle opens his eyes. "It is useless. She did not love me enough."

"There has got to be at least one person," Adalyn states.

"I hate to pop the bubble of your perfect world, but not everyone is loved." Riddle turns away and starts to read some book under his desk. Lupin dismisses the class and quickly hurries back up to his office. Adalyn packs up her books and heads out the door. She waits for Riddle to emerge out of the classroom and files in line with him. "Did you wait for me?" he asks shock clearly evident in his voice.

"Considering you are the only person who I kind of like in that class - yes, I did wait for you," Adalyn laughs. Riddle eyes her warily. "Oh, and the Slytherin party is tonight so wear something nice-ish."

"Nice-ish is not a word."

"Calm down, Mr. Grammar Nazi," the witch laughs rolling her eyes. Riddle stiffens quickly and glares into Adalyn's eyes. "Do not compare me to those foul excuses of government soldiers."

Adalyn quickly realizes her mistake. When Riddle went to Hogwarts, it was during World War II. Of course he does not like to be compared to the German soldiers. Looking upon the subject, Adalyn realizes that Voldemort was like Hitler and the Death Eaters were his Nazis. Yes, Riddle would not like to be compared to a Nazi. Lost in thought, she almost doesn't see Riddle speed ahead of her. "Hey! Wait up!" she calls out after him. She pushes through the crowd, which is rather easy since they are surrounded by second years now, and catches up with Riddle. "Hey, I'm sorry for comparing you to a Nazi. It is just an expression in this time and I really meant no offense by it."

"Why do you always do that?" he asks suddenly.

"Do what?" she asks hesitantly.

"Apologize and act sort of friendly to me! I thought you hated me!"

"I can't believe I am about to do this. Okay, here it goes," Adalyn mumbles. She grabs Riddle's tie and pulls him to the side. "Ikindoftrustyousodontmakemeregretit."

"What?"

"I kind of trust you so don't make me regret it," Adalyn admits more clearly. She can feel her face become hot as a pink blush rises to her cheeks. Riddle stares at her for a moment before saying, "I won't."

"Won't what?"

"Make you regret it." And with his trademark Riddle smirk gracing his face, he walks away leaving behind a very confused Adalyn.

**xxxxxxx**

Adalyn puts the last finishing touches on her makeup before examining herself in the mirror. She is wearing a tight black cocktail dress with lace sleeves and an all lace back. It is a sophisticated kind of sexy, something that most girls have lost these days. Her hair has been slicked down and tamed. Her makeup is neutral, except for a bright red lip. Adalyn slips on a pair of black heels that aren't too tall, but not too short. She hears a knock on her door. She swings it open wide to see Riddle standing there in his Hogwarts uniform, minus the black cloak. "What are you wearing?" they both ask at the same time. Adalyn rolls her eyes and explains. "This is what you wear to a party."

"You look like a slut."

"Thanks. I can't wait until you see the other girls at the party," she says sarcastically. "But you cannot wear that."

"What is wrong with what I am wearing?" Riddle asks looking down at his outfit.

"You're wearing your school uniform."

"So?"

Adalyn mutters a quick transfiguration spell under her breath. Riddle's clothes instantly change into something more stylish. The green and silver tie morph in with the button down shirt, becoming a loose plaid version of the school shirt - but much more attractive. Riddle's pants tighten and become a matching shade of gray. He stares down at his new outfit. He shows new emotions of whether he likes or dislikes the outfit change. Instead he asks, "What would have happened if you messed up the spell?"

"You would be standing in your underwear. Now we need to hurry or else we are going to be late," Adalyn says dragging Riddle down the stairs and out the door. They sneak through the corridors, evading any teachers that are roaming the halls at night. Finally, they make it to the Room of Requirement. The large wooden door appears and the duo steps inside. They are greeted by a small third-year acting as a bouncer. "P-password?" he stutters.

"Do we need a password?" Riddle snaps.

"Y-yes. I was t-told not to let any-anyone in without a password."

"What if I don't-"

"There isn't a password," Adalyn interrupts giving the small boy a sympathetic smile. The nods his head and quickly lets the House Heads in. "That was ridiculous," Riddle rants. "We are House Heads. We should be allowed in without a stupid…"

The wizard trails off when he sees the scene in front of them. They stand up on a balcony and look down at hundreds of sweaty Slytherins dancing on top of each other, hips shaking to the music. Adalyn lets out a short staccato laugh. Riddle gives her a quizzical stare and she explains. "Some Wizarding bands only perform for purebloods and their families. Like this band, the Slimy Snakes. A lot of the time these bands will take old Muggle songs, change them a bit, and then perform them for the purebloods. Of course, being the "high-class Wizarding families" that they are, they have no clue that the songs aren't original."

"So, what made you laugh?"

"It is odd hearing Lionel Richie be transformed into hard rock."

"Is this what this kind of music is? Rock?" Riddle asks practically yelling over the sounds of students and the band.

"Yes. Sadly you missed the wonderful era of rock n' roll. But don't worry; right now rock is thriving in the Wizarding World."

"And in the Muggle world?"

"Grunge or pop." Adalyn begins to walk down the stairs with Riddle following close behind her. They push through the crowds of sweaty bodies until they are downstairs by the dance floor.

"I'm going to get us some drinks!" Adalyn shouts over the music. She squeezes her way over to the table of drinks. She grabs two Firewhiskeys and pushes her way back to Riddle. When she arrives, he is in the same position that she left him in. Only instead of drilling her with questions, he is glaring at the people on the dance floor.

"A penny for your thoughts?" she asks handing Riddle his drink.

"My thoughts are worth much more than a penny, Vengradis," Riddle smirks. Adalyn rolls her eyes. "You never answered my question."

"Is this really how people conduct themselves? Girls throwing themselves at men like useless whores?" he asks disgusted.

"Sadly, yes. But don't worry. You keep rather good company," Adalyn jokes. "I don't plan on 'throwing myself at men like worthless whores'."

"Useless."

"Huh?" she asks rather unintelligently.

"It's useless whores," he corrects.

"Do you always have to be right?"

"Every hour of every day," he whispers suddenly very close to Adalyn. She blushes and looks away. Blaise Zabini approaches her coolly and asks, "Would you like to dance?"

The song changes to a slow dance and Adalyn gladly accepts the Italians hand and lets him lead her onto the dance floor. They sway back and forth, with the occasional twirl thrown in there. To be honest, it is rather boring. Throughout the night, she is asked to dance by numerous boys. Unable to say no, Adalyn accepts the invitation and dances with them for one song. She cannot wait until Draco escorts her to the Halloween Ball. That way, only he can dance with her. The thought makes Adalyn smile. Maybe if she plays her cards right…

She is too caught up in her fantasies to notice the sixth year she is dancing with slowly slide his hand down from her waist. When he gives her arse a squeeze she snaps back into reality. Adalyn pulls away quickly and slaps the boy across the face. She gets menacingly close and whispers, "I would scurry along before I hurt you."

She storms off the dance floor in search of Riddle. She finds him leaning against the wall chuckling to himself. She stomps over to him and asks, "Why are you laughing?"

"The look on that sixth year's face was priceless," he laughs. Adalyn rolls her eyes and says, "Whatever. We are leaving."

Adalyn starts off to the exit and Riddle walks behind her. She pushes past the tired looking third year and starts off down the hall. She hears Riddle's quiet footsteps follow behind the click of her heels. Adalyn whips around a corridor to come face to face with Professor Slughorn. He examines the two House Heads and raises an eyebrow. "What are you two doing out so late at night?"

"We were patrolling the hallways," Riddle lies. Slughorn looks at their outfits and opens his mouth to ask another question. Before he can say anything, Riddle adds on, "We lost a bet and had to wear nice clothes."

"Oh, well, have a nice night," the professor says turning away down the hall. Adalyn is shocked at how quickly he is able to think of a lie. The slightly tipsy witch is slightly impressed and slightly worried about how easily the boy can lie.

"You need to learn how to lie quicker," Riddle states. Adalyn glares at him. She was a double agent for Merlin's sake! She can lie better than anyone here! Well, besides Riddle…

They walk up to the common room in silence. They wake up Edgar and whisper the password to the sleepy portrait. He lets Adalyn and Riddle in and they sneak into the common room. When they narrow hallway opens up into the large common room, they are greeted with the sight of Hermione Granger waiting for them on the couch. "Where have you two been?" she demands.

"I do not believe it is any of your business," Riddle states. "Now, we are both very tired and need to go to bed. We will see you Saturday morning." He turns on his heel and stalks up the Slytherin stairwell. Adalyn quickly follows behind him. She catches him right before he closes the door to his oh-so-secret-room.

"Hey! Riddle!" she calls out. By now, Adalyn looks like a complete wreck. Most of her makeup has come off and her hair has returned to its normally tangled state. By now, she has kicked off her heels. Riddle turns around to face the tall witch. She gives her wand a quick wave and his clothes transfigure back into the school uniform. "Why do you only wear the school uniform?" she asks.

"Same as when we were in the orphanage. I do not own any clothes," he says impassively.

"Why don't you buy some?"

"Not all of us have enough money to go shopping every day, Vengradis."

"Oh," she says softly. After a moment of silence she asks, "Did you have fun?"

"I wouldn't exactly call standing alone in a corner all night 'fun'," he says sarcastically. Adalyn's face falls. She feels guilty for leaving Riddle alone all night. She opens her mouth to apologize, but he stops her. "Don't apologize. It is very irritating."

"Well, I didn't exactly have that much fun either," she admits.

"What are you talking about? You danced all night," he states.

"That is exactly why I hated it! Every time I wanted to take a break, some guy would come up and ask me to dance!" she groans.

"Oh, poor popular you," Riddle says with fake sympathy. "At least people like you. Unlike myself who is hated by everyone at Hogwarts."

Riddle's eyes suddenly widen and his face becomes slightly pink. It is obvious that he did not mean to say the last bit out loud. He turns to go into his room. Before the door closes, Adalyn whispers, "I kind of like you."

She is unaware of whether or not he heard her. If he did, he showed no signs of caring. Adalyn sighs and goes to retire for the night. She lays in her bed, wide awake. She is worried about her decision to trust Riddle. If he can think of a suitable lie so quickly, what else has he lied about? Could he really remember what he did? Does he want to finish what he started? Adalyn slides her hand under the pillow and grips her wand tightly. Just in case.

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**So...did you like it? Do you think I am getting the characters right? Leave anything you have to say in the form of a review! I really love it when you guys review. It lets me know what I do well and what I need to improve on.**

**STORY TIME! **

**I finally convinced my dad to read Harry Potter (he is on Order of the Phoenix) and today I was talking to him about the different houses. Now, I am a proud Slytherin so when my dad starts calling the house "evil", I go into a complete rant about how us Slytherins are not "evil"! We are ambitious and cunning! There is a difference! So just out of curiosity, what house are you guys in? I may start doing a question of the update. So...**

**QOFTU: What house are you guys in?**


	13. Chapter 12

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter**

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**Chapter Twelve**

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Adalyn sits in History of Magic – Riddle's head blocking her view. Binns rearranged the seating chart placing her directly behind Riddle in yet another class. Across the classroom she can see Draco and Isabelle chatting amiably. Adalyn sighs and slumps into her chair. Though she doesn't need to pay attention – it would give her something to watch that isn't the back of Riddle's head.

Professor Binns' flat monotone echoes through the classroom. Adalyn can picture his head stuck in the large textbook he always carries as he paces in the front of the room. Today the class is learning about Dark wizards and witches in history. Binns finishes the section on Grindelwald and moves on to the next person.

"Christiana Bradley was one of the darkest witches to ever live. She lived slightly before Grindelwald's time and is often overshadowed by his success in the Dark Arts. Unlike many Dark wizards and witches, she practiced the art in secret. As a proud Pureblood Slytherin, Bradley would secretly kill off a Muggle or Muggleborn every thirteen days. When the Ministry finally tracked the killings to her, she was killed in an instant. It was later discovered that she had Horcruxes. To this day, the Ministry is still searching for the thirteenth and final Horcrux. In her early life…"

Adalyn stops listening to Binns. She taps Riddle on the shoulder and he leans back. "Have you ever heard of her?" she asks softly. "Christina Bradley, I mean."

"The name sounds familiar, but I can't put my finger on it." Riddle continues to stare at the front of the classroom – his entire body language screaming 'Don't talk to me'. Adalyn ignores his obvious social protests and says, "_I _haven't heard of her."

"Why are you talking to me so much today?" Riddle asks. "Still on a mission to figure out what caused me to become Lord Voldemort? Has it ever occurred to you that I am just evil?"

"You're not."

"How do you know?"

"You would be dead. The Order would have seen through your lies. I think you're scared, Tom." Riddle glares at Adalyn at the use of his first name. "You're scared because you don't know what happened. You put up a dark and brooding façade to hide the fact that you aren't as powerful as Lord Voldemort."

As soon as she finishes, Adalyn knows she has gone too far. Riddle's grey eyes are clouded with anger. His jaw is tight and his entire body is tense. Before she can apologize for her harsh words, Riddle speaks up. "You should learn to control your tongue, Vengradis. It will get you in trouble one day."

Anger broils inside Adalyn. How dare he speak to her that way! Green eyes livid with anger, she gives Riddle a terrifying stare. "And you should remember that it isn't the 40s. Women actually have opinions." Riddle snaps his head back to the front. Adalyn listens back in to the lesson.

"…and that is the legend of Christina Bradley," Binns finishes. "I want a parchment on the history of the Dark wizard or witch you find most interesting. Class dismissed."

After copying down the homework, Adalyn quickly gathers her books. While she is leaving the classroom, Draco comes up from behind her. The two are in an awkward stage where they aren't dating but they aren't just friends. He throws his arm around Adalyn's shoulder. "What was your conversation with Riddle about?"

"You didn't overhear?" she asks surprised. He was only sitting a few seats away from them.

"I was paying attention." Draco looks down sheepishly when Adalyn laughs. "You are such a Ravenclaw!" she jokes.

"Very funny," he drawls. "But the legend of Christina Bradley was interesting."

"I missed it."

"Your loss." Draco shrugs and gives a carefree laugh. "Are we still on for tonight?"

"Unless I come down with a rare and deadly disease then yes," Adalyn says smiling. "I'll see you tonight!"

Today is Halloween so all evening classes have been cancelled in preparation for the ball. Adalyn overhears the excited whispers of the underclassman as they talk about their first dates and how they hoped to be kissed tonight. She smiles at their childlike innocence. At their age, she had already been kissed…numerous times…

Adalyn snaps herself away from those thoughts just in time to see Draco and Riddle turn into the Great Hall. The boys put themselves in charge of decorations so the girls had more time to get ready. Adalyn continues her path up to the House Head dormitory. After a brief conversation with Edgar – well Edgar talks to her about a crazy new idea to leave his portrait.

"I'm sure it will work this time," Adalyn lies. "Happy Halloween!" Edgar slowly closes the portrait door behind her as Adalyn steps into the hallway leading into the Common Room – only to be knocked onto her arse moments later. Hermione hops up and offers Adalyn her hand. She accepts the hand and brushes her skirts off. "I'm sorry, Adalyn! I just left one of my books in the library…"

"It's fine. Go get your book," Adalyn smiles. After the argument in the common room, the two girls have grown closer. It turns out they have more in common than they thought. "Hey, Hermione!" Adalyn calls out. "Do you want to get ready for the ball with me and Isabelle?"

"I would love to," Hermione answers. "Can Ginny come too?"

"Why not? I'll invite Luna and Hannah while we are at it!" Adalyn exclaims throwing her hands in the air. "The more the merrier!"

**xxxxxxx**

Five hours later, the six girls have their hair and makeup done – with the help form one another. They gush over how beautiful everyone looks and how gorgeous, or creepy, their costumes are. Adalyn stands in the bathroom and stares at herself in the mirror. She pictures everyone else's costumes in her mind before she steps out to reveal what she is wearing.

Isabelle is in a white wedding gown that was ripped in numerous places. Her hair is viciously tangled and her makeup is smudged all over her face. The look is complete with a bouquet of dead flowers and a dirty veil. Isabelle is going as a bride left at the altar.

Hermione is dressed in a beautiful lilac Victorian gown with mint green swirls. Limited makeup accents her most defining features. Her usually frizzy hair is curled to perfection. A small tiara rests on top of her chestnut curls – making her a Victorian princess.

Hannah's costume surprises everyone. She wears a tight leotard with an attached short skirt. Knee-high boots and a short cape make her a superhero. Like Hermione, her face has limited makeup – with the exception of cherry red lipstick. Her brown hair is slicked back in a high, tight ponytail the shines in the light.

Luna's costume reflects her personality perfectly. It is a floor-length rainbow gown that has a bejeweled waistband. Her hair is crimped and ruffled. Her makeup looks like a rainbow threw up on her face – at least in Adalyn's opinion. When Isabelle asks what she is, Luna answers, "A Veela." No one bothers to correct her.

Ginny is dressed as a pirate. A corset-like bodice makes the white sleeves from the shirt underneath poof out. A high-low skirt covers her bottom half – along with fishnet tights and brown boots. She ties a red bandana over her bright scarlet hair with a swift knot.

Adalyn studies herself in the mirror. Her black hair is curled into little ringlets and piled into a bun on her head. A thin band of golden leaves goes across her forehead. Her makeup makes her pale skin look bronze with gold accents around the eyes. Adalyn slips into the Greek goddess gown. It is sexier than what she usually wears – with a cutout that defines her toned stomach. Her arms feel naked and exposed – her Dark Mark defined and dark. Though showing it in public is no longer a problem, she prefers to keep it hidden to avoid bad memories.

"Adalyn!" Isabelle knocks on the door loudly. "Come on out! We are going to be late!"

Adalyn swings open the door – almost knocking Isabelle in the face. The girls' jaws drop at the sight of Adalyn. No one says anything for what feels like the longest time. Adalyn begins to worry. 'Do I look that bad? Is my makeup smudged? Do they think I look like a slut?'

Hannah is the first person to break the silence. "Damn, Adalyn. You look hot."

Everyone else quickly follows in suit – sincerely gushing over how beautiful she looks. The witches start to file out Adalyn's bedroom door. Ginny stops them. "Guys, aren't we forgetting something?" she asks holding up their masks. Ginny passes them out before rushing down the Slytherin stairwell. The boys are already waiting in the Common Room – dressed to match their dates; with the exception of Riddle who looks the Phantom of the Opera. Draco takes Adalyn's hand and whispers, "You look lovely."

"You look rather dashing yourself." Adalyn gives a playful tug on his toga. She glances across the room to see Isabelle and Riddle – who are both going stag - chatting quietly. She walks over and says, "Maybe you two should go together. Incest is the best; put your cousin to the test!"

Isabelle cracks up laughing while Riddle looks like he is ready to send Adalyn to a mental hospital. She gives them a sweet smile – while trying to hold back laughter – and says, "Well, have a nice night!"

She skips back over to Draco – who is giving her a curious look. "What did you say to them?"

"Just promoting incest."

"What?"

"You don't want to know."

"Probably don't," he laughs agreeing. They walk hand in hand with the rest of the group to the Great Hall. Adalyn feels…weird when Draco holds her hand or kisses her cheek. The two seem more like brother and sister than boyfriend and girlfriend. She knows she should be truthful about her feelings, but she doesn't want to lose a friend.

'Let's just wait and see how the night plays out,' Adalyn thinks. The group of 9 walk down the stairwell. The couples – Harry and Ginny, Hermione and Ron, Justin and Hannah, and Adalyn and Draco – link arms as they descend down the stairs. Isabelle and Riddle walk alone while Luna meets Neville at the bottom of the stairs. Hushed whispers run through the crowd – only adding to Hogwarts's turbulent rumor mill.

The Great Hall – much to Adalyn's pleasure – is splendidly spooky. Black candles with neon green flames float above the students' heads. The enchanted ceiling shows a cloudy night - a full moon gleaming through the clouds. Pumpkins – lit up by neon green light – line the edges of the hall. Assorted cobwebs hang from the rafters; some even have real spiders dangling in them. All in all, the Hall looks perfect. Adalyn whispers over to Draco, "Nice to know you didn't screw up the Hall."

"Did you just insult in the form of a compliment?" Draco asks. "I'm supposed to be the smart one here!" The group sits down at a round table – filling up all 10 of the seats. Adalyn sits down flanked by Draco on her left and Riddle on her right. At a previous meeting, the House Heads elected on eating the traditional Halloween feast before the actual dancing begins. Dumbledore stands up from the Teacher's Table and addresses the crowd.

"Welcome students to the Halloween Ball. Let's give a round of applause for the House Heads who put this celebration together." The Hall erupts in thunderous applause. "Quiet down. I hate to put a damper on the celebration, but I must address an important matter. The Ghosts of Hogwarts. Many of you have noticed that many of Hogwarts's ghosts have vanished. We are unsure of where they have disappeared to, but we are tracking their whereabouts as I speak. The remaining ghosts include the Bloody Baron, the Helena Ravenclaw, Sir Nicholas, Miss Myrtle, and Peeves. We have come to the conclusion that many ghosts have hidden themselves in the crevices of Hogwarts during the war and have yet to emerge. Oh, and a Happy Deathday to Sir Nicholas. Let the feast begin!"

Platters of delicious food appear on the top of tables. The group digs into delectable chicken, pumpkin pie, all sorts of potatoes, and numerous candies. As Adalyn cuts up her chicken, she tries to make small talk with her fellow classmates. "So what do you guys think about the ghosts? Imagine - one of them could be hidden in your room!"

"Itish awitle cweepy," Ron says with a mouthful of food. Hermione gives him a smack on the shoulder and scolds, "Honestly, Ronald. Learn some manners!"

"At least Purebloods are well-mannered," Draco whispers into Adalyn's ear. She also gives her date a smack on the arm. "Look who it's coming from. 'I simply do not believe in what Slytherin's believe in anymore' my arse."

"Watch your language, missy."

"Says the guy who taught we all the cusswords in second year." In truth, Adalyn had known all the "bad words" since she was eight, but it is better to let Draco think she learned them from him. Much better…

"And what did your lovely date teach you?" Riddle asks joining their conversation.

Adalyn remembers Riddle's comment from earlier that day. Her anger resurrects. "I would tell you but I'm trying to _hold my tongue. _Wouldn't want to get in _trouble _for saying something _unladylike_," she mocks.

"I'm _sorry _for my previous comment," Riddle drawls insincerely. Adalyn narrows her eyes. She senses that he is mocking her need to apologize for everything. It is better to apologize often than to never apologize at all.

'Two can play this game,' she thinks. Out loud, she says, "Don't apologize. It's _irritating._"

"I'm only trying to be _nice_." Adalyn opens her mouth, but quickly closes it when she realizes Riddle has her stumped. He smirks proudly at her. Adalyn gives him an acute sneer and turns her attention back to the entire group. She attempts to make conversation with the diverse people at the table. "So, what do you want to do when you get out of Hogwarts?"

"Auror," Harry, Ron and Neville all say in unison. Everyone laughs. Hermione is the first to recover. "Well, no surprise there. I would like to come back and be a professor. Maybe I could teach Divination," she jokes. "But seriously, I would love to teach young witches and wizards magic."

"You could be teaching students about your own adventures," Justin points out. "Isn't that a little odd?"

"Only if you make it be," Hermione debates.

"Fair point," the Hufflepuff nods agreeing. "I want to help rebuild the Ministry. They need all the help they can get right now. Hannah?"

"I help Madame Pomfrey during the war. St. Mungoe's is calling my name," Hannah admits. Adalyn studies Hannah. In all honesty, she can barely picture the sweet Hufflepuff girl cleaning up the bloody wounds of dying people. But, hey, it is her choice.

"I would like to be an author," Draco confesses, catching everyone by surprise. "But I don't know what I would write about."

"You could write about us," Isabelle suggests motioning towards Adalyn.

"Yeah," Adalyn agrees. "Call it 'The Slut and the Serpent'. I can be the serpent. Make us solve crimes."

"Though your idea is sheer brilliance," Draco drawls sarcastically. "I don't think it would sell."

"You could always try the Muggle world. It could spark a whole new craze in the Young Adult world," Hermione suggests.

"I'll think about it." Though Draco sounds sincere, Adalyn knows that he would never write for Muggles. Though he is no longer in Slytherin, no one can truly rid themselves of past prejudices. Especially a Malfoy. Adalyn glances over at Riddle. _If Draco can't give up his old beliefs, how can Riddle drop them so quickly? _The more Adalyn thinks about it, the more suspicious she becomes. It spreads through her body like a wildfire. Her mind is screaming at her that Riddle is guilty. The rational side of her brain calms her down. If Riddle is guilty, the Order would see right through his lies.

The suspicion is still nagging at the back of her mind as Draco pulls her onto the floor for the first dance of the night. He places a pale hand on her waist and Adalyn blushes. Though she doesn't have romantic feelings towards the boy, the heat still rushes up her neck and cheeks. A slow waltz - conducted by Flitwick - begins. The duo moves in three-step twirls around the floor.

Adalyn refuses to look up into Draco's blue eyes. She is afraid to see the emotions his eyes may hold. She heard that eyes are the window to the soul. That is why she never wears bold eye makeup like so many girls in her year. It provides a childish comfort to know people won't pay attention to her eyes and discover her well hidden secrets. Being a naturally skilled Occlumen also helps…

Adalyn can feel Draco's warm gaze smiling down at her, but she also senses another stare. Drawing her gaze away from her feet, she glances over her shoulder and meets Riddle's cold glare; but there is another emotion hidden in his pools of grey. Jealousy. At first, Adalyn is confused. _Is Riddle jealous that I get to dance with Draco? Is he gay?_ But then she realizes he isn't staring solely at them, but at every couple in the room. That is when it hits her. Riddle is jealous of the love the couples share – romantic and friendly.

Adalyn feels pity for the ex-Dark Lord. Nobody will ever love him – or even be kind to him for that matter. The new Patronus Charm flutters into her mind. The same sadness washes over her body. Living a life when nobody loves you. Draco notices Adalyn's face become softer and sadder. "What is wrong?" he asks.

"Can you imagine a life when nobody loves you?" Draco knows not to question Adalyn's thoughts, but it question seems random. He thinks about it for a minute before saying, "No."

"What if you knew someone who has never been loved?" she asks – again looking melancholy.

"Anyone in particular we are talking about?"

"No."

"Well, I would offer them my love and support."

"And if that won't accept it?"

"Then they are an idiot," Draco whispers. Adalyn nods and returns to looking at her feet. The waltz finishes and they both bow. "Hey, Draco. Can we sit down? My feet are tired."

"Of course." The couple sits down at their table. An awkward silence falls upon them. Adalyn sighs. She knows she has to admit that she doesn't really like Draco, but she doesn't know how. Little does she know, Draco is having similar thoughts.

"Adalyn, I have something to tell you," Draco says worriedly. "I really like you as a friend, but the whole dating thing feels kind of weird." Adalyn's eyes widen in shock. She thought she was the only one who feels that way. She must look ridiculous because Draco hurriedly stands up and prepares to walk away. "I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt your feelings…"

"No! No! No!" Adalyn calls out before he can leave. "I feel the same way! I just thought you really liked me. Damn, maybe you should go into acting instead of creative writing!"

The couple laughs. Adalyn feels like a huge weight has been lifted off of her heart. She no longer feels guilty about returning Draco's feelings since he doesn't feel anything for her! Adalyn links arms with him and says, "My handsome Ares, god of war, would you like to accompany me for another dance as friends and not lovers?"

"Aphrodite, it would be my only wish, my beautiful goddess of love," he answers in the same playful manner. The two dance with Isabelle for the rest of the night to the Weird Sisters - each one laughing and drinking boatloads of Butterbear. They sing along to their favorite songs and shake their hips back and forth. At the end of the night, they make their way up to the Common Room. Isabelle collapses on Adalyn's bed and falls asleep instantly. Adalyn is the polar opposite.

Every single noise seems ten times louder and the small crack of light burns her eyes. She tosses and turns until she decides to get up and go downstairs. Maybe someone else is having trouble sleeping. She peaks around the corner and looks around the Common Room. Nobody is there. Adalyn begins to make her way up the stairs before a loud sound stops her. A loud sound that sounds suspiciously likes the portrait door closing. Adalyn rushes across the room and sneaks out the portrait door. She looks around the hallway in just enough time to see Riddle's cloak fluttering down the stairwell. She silently runs after him – thankful that she decided to change into shorts and a t-shirt to sleep in.

He twists and turns down a series of hallways – Adalyn following silently behind him. Riddle stops in front of Moaning Myrtle's bathroom. The aura of Dark Magic overwhelms Adalyn and allows her to tap into her Siren abilities. He walks into the bathroom without a second glance. After a moment, Adalyn follows behind him. When she walks in, Adalyn is frozen in shock. The circle of sinks in the center of the bathroom has opened up to form a large tunnel. She pears down into the dark tunnel.

"The Chamber of Secrets," Myrtle's high pitched voice rings out from the u-bend. "That is where Tom Riddle went."

"I figured," Adalyn says. "I'm Adalyn Vengradis by the way."

"I know who you are. How come you don't know where the Chamber is? I heard it was a huge scandal six years ago."

"Dumbledore told us the Chamber was found, but he didn't tell us where it was," Adalyn explains slightly irritated. "He didn't want anyone going down into it."

"Oh," the ghost giggles. "Why are you here?"

"I saw Riddle sneaking out and I wanted to know where he was going," Adalyn states quickly. "Do you just jump?"

"That's what he did," Myrtle says sweetly. "Oh, and Adalyn, if you die your welcome to share my bathroom."

"Thanks, Myrtle," Adalyn says. Though the offer is slightly creepy, Adalyn knows the ghost girl means well. Adalyn takes a deep breath and jumps down the dark tunnel. She flies through the gutter at forceful speeds before falling into a pile of bones. She lets out a small squeal and hops up. She brushes the small remains of humans and continues down the tunnel. She comes to a door with snakes on it that is closing slowly. Luckily, she is able to slip through the tight opening without getting crushed by the heavy metal. Adalyn hears the door close behind her. She gulps - knowing that there is no turning back now.

Adalyn climbs over a large pile of fallen rocks. She slips and falls down the large pile and onto the cold ground. When she tries to stand up, a sharp pain runs through her ankle. Recognizing the pain, she knows that she has a broken ankle. Adalyn limps through the Chamber pathetically. _The one time I can get answers out of Riddle, I break my ankle. This is just great. _She stumbles into what appears to be the main part of the Chamber. Snake heads line the walls and a large statue of Salazar Slytherin at the end of the hall. Also at the end of the hall is Tom Riddle himself.

"What are you doing here?" she calls out. Riddle jumps slightly before whirling around the face the dirty witch. He looks panicked as he tries to think of a suitable answer to her question. Adalyn uses the little amount of energy she has left to force herself into his mind.

'Tell the truth,' she whispers into his mind. 'It will do you no good to lie.'

"I come down here to be alone," Riddle blurts out. "I thought no one could follow me."

"They can't. I barely snuck down here," Adalyn admits.

"Can I be alone?"

"What for?"

"Thinking."

"Thinking about what?" she asks once again forcing herself into his mind. She whispers the same message to him again. Riddle tries to resist the urge to speak, but fails. "I didn't like being surrounded by the people. They seemed so happy." Adalyn once again feels pity for the boy. Riddle notices her expression soften and snaps, "I don't need your sympathy."

"Then you won't get any," Adalyn states. "I'm sorry for following you down here. I just wanted to make sure you weren't raising a baby Basilisk or something."

"Apology accepted. Now can you please go?"

"Sure," she begins to make her way back down the Chamber's hall – ignoring the black spots that are clouding her vision. _I will not pass out from the pain of a mere broken ankle. I have dealt with far worse. _She continues to stumble away before realizing one very important detail. She doesn't know how to get out. She turns back to Riddle. "Riddle, I don't know how…"

The last thing she remembers is the sound of her body falling to the hard floor with a thud.

* * *

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. School really sucks. Plus, I'm trying to get moved up a level in swimming so I have been working hard at that. Sorry for any spelling/grammar mistakes. I really try to catch them, but sometimes they just slip beneath my notice.**

**Kind of a cliffhanger at the end. Yup, I'm evil. Mwahahaha *starts coughing because I'm sick* **

**Question of the update: Did you catch the book/movie quote that I paraphrased? If so, what is it from?**

**I love receiving reviews so... REVIEW! I feel free to give me constructive criticism but no flat out "I hate you and this story" kind of reviews.**


	14. Author's Note

Author's Note

I need to address a very important topic. This story is going on hiatus for a brief period of time. I just want to make one thing clear:

THIS STORY IS NOT DISCONTTINUED!

I really do love this story and some of the characters, but I need to do some reworking. I originally had an idea for this story that would tie in many things, but that idea has changed. I now have a much more creative and different plot that I want to follow – which is why the story needs some editing.

Some of the original traits about each character can no longer be used – like Adalyn's and Isabelle's special abilities. I had a whole idea about why they have them, but that idea has gone down the drain and out of my mind.

As I said before, THIS STORY IS NOT DISCONTINUED! I never like to discontinue a story and I promise that I will come back to this – it just may be awhile.

Quite frankly, I do not blame you if you don't want to read this story anymore. I haven't been the best author that I can be. I will resume this story after I finish up my other one (which won't take very long). I want to be able to focus solely on one story at a time and pour my heart and soul into each character.

Remember, THIS STORY IS NOT DISCONTINUED!

It is just going on hiatus for a little while.


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